


A Lovely Little Curse Called Love

by SunshineScorpius



Series: The Power of Love [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Cinnamon Roll Scorpius Malfoy, Depression, Established Relationship, Gay Scorpius Malfoy, Grief, Healing, Hurt, Love, M/M, Minor Character Death, Pain, Seventh year, Slytherin Albus, Slytherin Scorpius, albus just want love and gets it, cinnamon roll albus potter, gay albus potter, scorpius is a precious cinnamon roll with serious tragic issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-10-31 15:35:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 47,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17852318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunshineScorpius/pseuds/SunshineScorpius
Summary: Scorpius Malfoy and Albus Potter thought they knew everything about love. They were in love, after all. However, love isn't always sugar, spice and everything nice, sometimes it's tragic and dark and messy. As their love grows, another does too, but this one leads them to learn that love can make a person do terrible, terrible things.





	1. Dorks in Love

**Author's Note:**

> Hi I'm back with your favourite two dorks and a whole other story (it'll be better than the summary I swear, I'm awful at them *sobs hard*
> 
> So, yes, this is a follow on from "Wasn't Expecting That", it would be best to read it beforehand, but honestly you could probably read it without, though there will be mini spoilers throughout.
> 
> This is a completed work, so will be updated regularly! Also, pre-warning, it has taken a much darker turn than expected and there is so much more pain than the last part. Any chapters will have trigger warning if I feel you might need it!
> 
> Hope ya'll enjoy! Here's the first chapter, starting with my happy little dorks!
> 
> Kudos and comments welcome as always xoxo

“Albie!” A familiar voice called from a short distance away, referring to Albus by his childhood nickname, a habit he’d picked up on from his siblings. Albus spun quickly on his heels, desperate to find the shockingly white hair dashing through the crowd that matched the voice.

He was being wrapped up in arms before Albus had the chance to spot him, and Albus was reminded again of what an amazing Seeker the Malfoy boy could be if he just tried out for the team. Taking in a deep breath, Albus let himself relax in the arms of his long-term boyfriend, Scorpius Malfoy, letting his smell take over his senses.

Merlin, had he missed him.

Scorpius pulled away from the tight hug and planted a small kiss on his lips, his eyes promising a longer greeting once they were behind closed doors on the Hogwarts Express and Albus grinned.

“Hey, you,” Albus finally spoke, finding his voice that had been swept away with the overwhelmingly crushing embrace he’d found himself in. “I missed you.”

“You saw me two weeks ago,” Scorpius teased, the same grin wide on his own face. “But I missed you, too,” he mused, adorably scrunching up his nose when Albus lightly _booped_ it.

“Ugh, get a room,” James rolled his eyes, ruffling up Scorpius’ hair before pulling the younger boy in for a hug.

“James!” He exclaimed, graciously returning the hug. “I didn’t think you’d be here.” Albus brushed off the fact that Scorpius sounded way more excited to see his brother than he did Albus, but a quick glance from Scorpius with his wildly excited eyes told him that he was being ridiculous. He _had_ seen Albus two weeks ago, whereas he hadn’t seen James since Christmas.

“Managed to slip out of morning training early, had to see my little siblings off, didn’t I? Especially because it’s Al’s all important seventh year.” Albus rolled his eyes.

“Don’t remind me.” Scorpius chuckled, linking his hand with Albus’, the same wide grin on his face as before.

“Where’s your father, Scorpius?” It was Harry’s turn to speak up, who had taken the liberty of dropping Albus and Lily off to the train station that morning as their mother was requested at work. Them taking turns to see them off to Hogwarts never really got easier to deal with.

“Oh, erm,” Scorpius turned around rapidly, searching the crowd for his elder look-alike, then wincing slightly at the rapid movement, his free hand instinctively going to pinch the bridge of his nose to ease the pain. Albus noted with contempt that Scorpius wasn’t wearing his glasses despite the request from multiple healers.

“You still getting headache’s, Scor?” Albus asked, pulling him in close and inspecting him as though Albus knew exactly what was wrong and how to fix it. He was far from able. Scorpius had been seeing healer after healer since fifth year when the headaches’ started and no one could tell him exactly what was wrong.

“You suffer from frequent headaches?” Harry asked and Albus was surprised to hear concern in his voice. Harry Potter had very much accepted his youngest sons’ relationship with his childhood enemies only son but very rarely expressed concern surrounding the younger Malfoy. He tolerated him at best, but never let his discomfort show whenever he was around – which was a lot. The two boys had become inseparable and spent most days with each other over the holidays since they got together nearly two years ago. The only reason they had spent two weeks apart this summer was because Draco Malfoy insisted on taking Scorpius back to their home in France to spend some quality time with his son.

Draco Malfoy was a strange man, Albus had concluded. Where his exterior was hard and cold, his interior was full of love for his son and late wife. Deep down, he was a kind man whom just had difficulty showing it. Scorpius knew he was loved, but for a few years after his mum died, his dad had grown distant from him, leaving Scorpius to grieve on his own. However, Draco was determined to mend the rip in his family, which meant dragging Scorpius along on many holidays across the world and spending quality time with him, though Scorpius never minded it. He was just happy to have his dad back. Albus was reminded of just how much a strange man he was when he finally sauntered up behind Scorpius, still towering over him despite Scorpius’ recent growth spurt, and placing two firm hands on his shoulders. Scorpius looked up and smiled before turning back to Harry.

“Yes, sir,” he said politely. “It’s more of an inconvenience than anything, makes it quite hard to focus which isn’t going to bode well with N.E.W.T. year but I’ll power through,” he smiled and Albus knew he was lying. The headaches were certainly more than an inconvenience. Last year they had gotten so bad that Scorpius had to resort to lying in a dark room with a damp cloth over his head. Not even pain potions touched the excruciating pain, but he never admitted this to anyone but Albus. Maybe his dad, too.

“Though,” Scorpius directed himself more towards Albus this time, “pretty sure me and dad have seen every healer in the country now. He even took me to mum’s old healers in France, but even they had no idea what’s causing them or how to make them stop. They did, however, rule out mums’ blood curse, so that’s something.” To anyone else, the way Scorpius carried himself and spoke about his mum so eloquently made him seem completely okay, but Albus could see passed the false façade. Even after four years – an anniversary of which they hit this summer, another reason for the unexpected trip to France – talking about his mum left a heavy hole in his heart. The death of Astoria Malfoy weighted heavier than mountains and deeper than oceans, she had caused a ripple so large that tsunamis would be envious, even if the only two people truly affected were Draco and Scorpius Malfoy. Those two people’s worlds had been turned upside down and downside up. They would live forever with a hole in their lives where a free-spirited kind young woman should be. They were cursed with the worst thing: loss.

“Yeah, that’s something,” Albus finally managed, looking up at Scorpius with sad eyes to which he returned.

“Albus, we have to go!” Shouted Lily from a distance where she had been catching up with her friends. Albus rolled his eyes and began saying his goodbyes to his father and James. Scorpius turned to embrace his dad. Albus wondered where his cousins were as they would normally join them on the platform. His questions were answered when he saw Rose and Hugo boarding the train from a distance and his Aunt and Uncle make their way over to Harry. Albus, desperate to avoid the glare of his Uncle Ron once he realises that Draco and Scorpius are stood with them, placed a hand on Scorpius’ shoulder to let him know he’s ready.

“Promise to tell me if things get worse?” Draco whispered to his son when they pulled away from the hug, keeping him at arms distance.

“Promise, dad,” Scorpius smiled sweetly and waved goodbye, taking Albus’ hand and walking with him towards the train, joining Lily in the process who embraced Scorpius with an enthusiastic hug before boarding the train.

Lily departed from them halfway down the corridor, yelling about seeing them at the welcoming feast and entering a carriage with all her friends. Lily and her group of friends were the epitome of house unity. There were about twelve of them, boys and girls, all from different houses. In her fourth year, Lily pitched the idea of the House Unity club to Professor McGonagall, who quite frankly loved the idea and so it began. They meet twice a week, Albus and Scorpius had joined occasionally, where they would mostly just sit and study and chill out, sharing interests like duelling, muggle technology, music or anything anyone was interested in. It was a place where someone could go without being judged. There were the regulars, all of the people Lily was friends with, and then there were people who would go every now and then, but it was a step in the right direction to destroying the prejudices between houses. Albus was immensely proud of her and everything she’s achieved.

“I was thinking about joining a club this year,” Scorpius says out the blue, looking in and out of different carriages for an empty one. The train wasn’t due to leave for another ten minutes, so there had to be one somewhere.

“With what time?” Albus asked, because it was true. N.E.W.T. studies took up enough time anyway without taking their final year project into account, then there was the apprenticeship Scorpius was doing with Madame Pomfrey, and the tutor groups they both had – Scorpius teaching History of Magic and DADA, Albus teaching Potions – and applications for their future jobs, there didn’t seem to be enough time in the day for anything extra. Albus wasn’t sure exactly when he’d even get to see Scorpius outside of classes.

He shrugged. “I don’t know, it’s only if I have time, I guess. In here,” he spoke, opening a carriage and pulling Albus inside. They placed their carry-ons on the luggage space overhead, Scorpius pulling out a book as he did so. Scorpius sat next to the window, his long legs stretching out onto the seat opposite him. Albus sat next to him, placing his head in Scorpius’ lap and stretching out on the rest of the cushioned seat.

“Why aren’t you wearing your glasses? If you’re going to read, you need them on.” Scorpius rolled his eyes.

“Can you get them for me?” Albus nodded and got up from his lying position to go through Scorpius’ bag. He eventually found them, passing them to the blond-haired boy before resuming his previous position. “I hate wearing them,” he spat, disgust evident in his tone as he stared down at the pair of spectacles, his face contorted with a pout. Albus chuckled slightly at how his tone didn’t match his face. Scorpius could try and be angry at a pair of inanimate glasses, but his face betrayed his true sappy emotions, Scorpius struggled to be angry majority of the time.

Albus had, however, been subject to some of Scorpius’ more serious scowls, but that was usually when he hadn’t had enough sleep in which he gets very grumpy. Albus found it adorable. Scorpius hates that Albus finds it adorable. Truth was, Scorpius was about as threatening as a kneazle puppy to Albus. To other people, however, he could wear the ire quite well. Though mostly he chose not to, people talk shit about him enough without him exposing that he could turn them into toad by just muttering the incantation. His wand never needed to be present.

Albus was always shook with the way Scorpius could perform wandless magic. There were some spells, of course, that he couldn’t perform without a wand, no wizard could do every spell, but he still had a lot more ability than anyone did at his age and many more advanced wizards. He could produce a corporal Patronus at sixteen, something Professor Appleby taught him at the end of their fifth year. He later revealed to Albus that _he_ was his memory, evoking a sappy grin and a short but sweet make-out session.

“You need to if-“

“I know, I know, if I want to stop my eyesight from getting worse and potentially my headaches,” he waved Albus off, mocking the many healers who have told him the same thing over and over. Albus giggled again and sat up, turning to face Scorpius.

“Anyway, on the platform your eyes promised me a proper greeting,” Albus grinned, moving closer towards him and closing the book shut, removing it from his grip. Scorpius looked at him, his eyes full of lust behind his thick-rimmed glasses, biting his bottom lip.

“My eyes did, did they? Shoot, I’ve been telling them to stop making promises without my permission,” his voice was full of sarcasm, but had a slight husky tone to it that always made Albus weak at the knees. He thanked Merlin he was sitting down. Albus reached up and took Scorpius’ glasses from his face, discarding them on the bench opposite. “I thought you just told me I needed those,” Scorpius mocked accusingly.

“You won’t need them when your eyes are closed,” Albus spoke, closing the short gap between their lips in a firm endearing kiss.

Scorpius melted into him, wrapping his arms around Albus’ waist and pulling him closer so Albus was sitting on his lap, careful to not break the kiss. Albus deepened the kiss becoming more determined by the second, drinking in every inch of Scorpius’ mouth. He ran his hands through his soft, pale hair, tugging on it slightly only to bring the other boy closer, to which Scorpius let out a little groan. Albus grinned into the kiss, victorious that he could render Scorpius weak under his touch.

When they eventually pulled away, they were breathless. Scorpius’ beautiful icy grey eyes were full of lust as they gazed into Albus’ green. Albus could look into his eyes forever, could get lost in them, could drown in them, for they were the most beautiful pair of eyes he’d ever seen.

“You are so beautiful,” Albus breathed and Scorpius pulled him in for another kiss, this time taking control. Scorpius’ kisses were every bit different to Albus’. Where Albus’ were determined and forward, kissing him like it was the last thing he’d ever do, Scorpius’ were soft and delicate. He treated Albus’ lips like they were a china doll, destined to break under too much pressure. He grazed Albus’ upper lip gently with his teeth before taking it between his lips in an apology. Albus, no longer being able to resist, took control again and slammed his lips deeper into Scorpius’, earning a gasp of approval from the other boy.

“Ah,” winced Scorpius, pulling away from the kiss abruptly and kneading the palm of his hand over his right eye, squeezing his eyes shut in pain. His entire face scrunched in discomfort as the pain throbbed through his skull.

“Scor?” Albus whispered, careful not to raise his voice too high for fear it might cause him further distress. He moved off his lap but kept one hand over his knee and the other on the side of his face.

“I don’t think my head liked that,” Scorpius joked, attempting to laugh through the pain. His palm pressed deeper into his eye and Albus assumed it must be relieving the pain somehow.

“You okay?” The question seemed irrelevant and stupid to ask, but Albus did anyway. Scorpius slowly nodded.

“It’ll calm down in a minute,” his voice rasped. His leg shook up and down rapidly alongside his heavy breathing. If Albus didn’t know any better he’d say he was having a panic attack, but Albus knew what Scorpius got like when his headaches got particularly bad. They would only be short moments, minutes of excruciating pain as they drummed through his skull. Scorpius once described them as “someone casting the Cruciatus curse on his brain,” despite never knowing what that particular feeling felt like. Mostly, his headaches were just a dull ache, something that resided at the front of his skull, irritating his eyes but bearable, but then these short bursts would happen occasionally, sending Scorpius into a frenzy. It was an awful thing to watch, especially knowing there was nothing he could do about it.

Finally, Scorpius removed his hand from his eye, keeping them closed as he let his breathing catch up.

“Did you need a pain potion?” Albus asked, ready to reach up to Scorpius’ bag and grab one. He’d seen them in there before whilst grabbing his glasses, but Scorpius shook his head. Out of the corner of his eye, Albus saw a figure move abruptly away from the compartment door, disappearing in a flash. He thought nothing of it, it was probably someone looking for a free compartment. 

“I’m fine and they don’t really do much, anyway.” He finally opened his eyes and looked at Albus, who was sitting wild eyed staring at him. Albus hated moments like this, moments he’d see his boyfriend fall victim to the pain in his skull knowing there was nothing he could do. Scorpius wasn’t weak, he was far from it, but moments like this took away any strength he had. The bursts of agonising pain seemed to drain all the energy from him. “I’m sorry,” Scorpius mumbled.

Albus’ brows furrowed in confusion. “For what?”

“Cutting that short, I was having a really great time,” he sighed in exasperation.

“No, you don’t have to apologise, it’s not your fault,” Albus ran his fingers down Scorpius’ cheeks. The other boys’ eyes fluttered in exhaustion. “Do you want me to read to you?” Albus queried, knowing it always calmed the other boy and hoped it could lull him into sleep. Scorpius nodded and Albus grabbed the book he had discarded earlier, sitting next to Scorpius so he could lean his head on Albus’ shoulder.

“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” Albus read the cover page out loud, slightly shocked to find a muggle book in Scorpius’ possession. Though he weren’t sure why, he knew Scorpius loved all kinds of books, especially muggle fiction.

“Mums’ favourite,” he mumbled. “I read it every time I start to miss her too much which means I’ve read it like a thousand times. She always said I remind her of Alice because I had such a wide imagination as a kid. It was the last book I read to her before she died, I never got to finish it on time.”

“I’m sorry, Scor,” and even though the words seemed inadequate, it was the only thing Albus could think of to say. Scorpius shrugged in response and Albus felt utterly hopeless. He thanked God every day that he still had his mother to hold him when he felt down, or laugh with him at silly muggle programmes, who would take him out for lunch for bonding and smile fondly at him when he talked way too much about the boy he loved. And maybe that was utterly selfish. Maybe that was self-conceited and brutal to ponder over, but Albus could never imagine his life without his mum. Maybe that’s why Scorpius was so incredibly brave and strong because he’d gone four years without the person who meant most to him. Albus admired him for it deeply.

Albus took the silence as his cue to open the book to where Scorpius had dog-eared it and carried on reading it for him. He fell asleep not long into the reading and Albus only managed to read to the end of the chapter before finding himself falling into a deep slumber.

 

* * *

 

  

“All I’m saying is that it’s not fair that you guys got seven years of welcomes feasts and I only got two, of course not including all those we get after holidays are over,” Scorpius rambled whilst indulging himself on the feast in front of him. Albus could only look over fondly as he ranted. Where most seventh-year students enthusiasm regarding the famous Hogwarts welcoming feasts had died down by now, Scorpius hadn’t had the luxury for seven years, only two. Albus still remembered the way his face lit up at the beginning of sixth year when the food appeared, he looked like a five-year-old child on Christmas day. Now though, he couldn’t get over that this was his _last_ welcoming feast and made sure everyone around knew about it.

“It’s not our fault your dad sent you off to your posh little French school,” their friend Leo Boot muttered through his food, sending a smirk in Scorpius’ direction, who returned the expression with a scowl. Towards the end of their fifth year, Scorpius and Albus expanded their horizons and decided branch out, accumulating their two-some into a five-some with Leo Boot, a boy whom they shared their dorm with, Emily Fickle, potions enthusiast like Albus and head girl, and Marcy Finch-Fletchley, a shy girl whom Scorpius had acquainted during his long study sessions in the library and offered to tutor her. Overall, Albus felt happier at Hogwarts now than he had when he first started, he had friends, he was decent at his studies, and he had Scorpius.

“Didn’t you almost end up at Beauxbatons too, Leo?” Emily enquired, sending a mischievous glint in Leo’s direction.

“Erm, yes, but I didn’t in the end.”

“Evidently,” Scorpius drawled, sarcasm thick in his tone, his eyes on the verge of rolling.

“I don’t like your sass, Malfoy.” Leo shot back, trying but failing to hide the amusement in his voice and shake the small creeping smile from his lips. Scorpius, ever the brilliant actor, kept his own face neutral.

“What’re you going to do about it, Boot?” The two boys stared at each other for a long time, letting the false bravado rise until they both cracked at the same time, falling into a fit of giggles. Everyone else observing the conversation rolled their eyes.

Scorpius and Leo had formed quite the friendship since fifth year. Leo liked to think of himself as Scorpius’ older brother, despite being four days younger than him, a fact that Scorpius teased him relentlessly for. They’d always gotten along with the boys in their dorm mainly through obligation rather than actual friendliness, but Leo was always the one who tried a little harder than the other two. One night during the peak of O.W.L examinations when Scorpius had spent a particularly late night at the library, – Albus had turned in hours before – he was making his way back to the dorm when the dizziness from his headaches and lack of sleep seemed to overcome him and he fainted.

Leo just happened to be around and caught Scorpius before he fell completely to the ground and took him to the hospital wing and stayed with him all night until he woke, despite Madame Pomfrey’s insistence that he leave. Leo Boot could be a stubborn little sod when he wanted to be. Since then their friendship evolved into a brother-like relationship, with constant teasing and bickering but they would always look out for each other. Sometimes Leo seemed more worried about Scorpius’ headaches than Albus did, though Albus knew that weren’t true. No one worried more than he did. Still, he was thankful that Leo was there that night and he was thankful that they both now had friends to rely on.

“Right, new topic. What’s everyone thinking about doing for final year project?” Emily asked, the other four let out a collective groan.

“We are not talking about final year projects on the first night back. Save it for after Professor Appleby’s talk on it please,” Marcy begged, already looking stressed. Marcy was a shy girl when they all first met with any of them but Scorpius, who seemed to bring out the confidence in her. Scorpius always brought out the best in people. But, over time she adjusted to her new friendships and now she’s just as chatty as the rest of them. She’d rarely start conversations and sometimes if she’s having a bad day she’ll just sit and watch the rest of them converse, but that was quite rarely these days. Marcy, however, wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, and often needed extra tutoring for her work – a job Scorpius was more than happy to take on.

“Okay, fine, fine,” Emily waved off, though looking slightly disappointed.

“Scor?” Albus asked, looking over at his boyfriend who now had his chin in his hands, eyes looking longingly at the deserts that had appeared in front of him. The others looked to him, instinctively drawn into the conversation. “You’re staring at the sweets, but you aren’t eating anything. Are you okay? Don’t feel sick or anything do you?” Albus wanted to make a joke about it, but the genuine sight of Scorpius resisting eating anything with a high sugar content could only mean something bad. Scorpius loved sugar.

“Nope,” he sighed, popping the ‘p’. He sighed to himself again before removing his head from his hands and reaching over for an apple from a bowl near Leo. “I’m on a strict no-sugar diet, curtesy of the healers at St. Mungos. They think a healthy diet might relieve some of the tension from my headaches, but I’ve been doing it since the beginning of summer and so far, it’s done nothing,” he took an unnecessarily angry bite into his apple and sighed again.

“Scorpius Malfoy on a no-sugar diet. Wow, never thought I’d see the day,” Emily cackled, causing a laugh from Leo and Marcy in the process.

“Tell me about it!” He exclaimed. “Honestly, it’s hard. I have a sweet tooth and they are not letting me feed it. Mum would be raging.” He laughed alongside them and Albus couldn’t help but smile too. Scorpius had always told Albus that Astoria’s solution to just about everything was sweets, it’s true she’d be tossing in her grave right now knowing that the healers had banned him from anything sugary.

“Well, I think if poor little Scorpy here can’t eat sugar, then the rest of us should respect that and do the no sugar purge with him,” Leo mused, looking among the group with a deadly serious face. Scorpius looked genuinely touched and was about to say something when Leo spoke up again, his face forming a shit-eating grin. “Jokes! Soz Scorpy, I wouldn’t give up cauldron cakes for anyone,” he laughed, picking up said cake and shoving it ungracefully into his mouth.

“Dick,” Scorpius spat. “You know, wouldn’t eat too many if I were you. Put on a bit of weight and you might just get thrown off the Quidditch team,” his mouth formed the ghost of a smile.

“Oh, are we playing dirty now, Scorpy?” Scorpius hated that nickname, which is exactly why Leo insisted on using it.

“Yeah, we are, Leonardo,” he replied, knowing full well how much Leo hated his full name. Leo just shook his head at him.

“The full name? That’s cold,” Scorpius shrugged, taking another bite of his apple and smiling smugly.

“Well, if you two are done, I have head girl duties, got to get these first years down to the common room,” Emily rolled her eyes, but Albus could see through the false bravado. She had owled them all over the summer about her promotion to Head Girl and you could _feel_ the excitement through the parchment. “Can’t believe you turned down Head Boy, Scor, we could have been doing this together.”

“I had no desire to be Head Boy, plus I don’t have the time.” He shrugged.

“Well, okay! See you all at breakfast tomorrow, probably!” She sang, skipping off down the hall to where the first years were sitting to introduce herself. They all mumbled a goodbye back.

“Want to take a walk around the castle before curfew?” Scorpius asked, turning to Albus and moving a piece of hair out of Albus’ face.

“Yeah, okay,” he agreed and the two rose from their seats, fumbling goodbyes’ to Leo and Marcy before making their way out the Great Hall. Scorpius took hold of Albus’ hand as they strolled and made easy conversation. Things with Scorpius had always been easy. Albus never felt pressured to keep the conversation going or scrambled for the right thing to say. Things just fell into place.

Scorpius swung their hands and Albus listened to him ramble on about a new book he’d received from his father over summer. Draco was always buying Scorpius new books ever since he’d read every single book in Malfoy Manor, sometimes twice. Albus just watched him, knowing Scorpius was his eyes for where he was walking.

Scorpius Malfoy was truly beautiful, but the kind where he didn’t know it. His face had sharpened out over the summer, his jaw bones sharp enough to cut you if you’d let it. His cheeks had reddened slightly from the summer sun, his pale complexion being ever so sensitive to burning and as Scorpius had spent the last two weeks in France, he’d fallen victim despite the protection spells. His hair had lightened from the beaming sun, the heat bleaching it even more than it was before, and it was slightly longer than he’d usually wear it, meaning his fringe fell into his eyes more than usual. Oh god, _his eyes._ His eyes were Albus’ favourite part of him. Grey was never the word to describe them, grey always seemed too dull and they were anything but dull. They were always full of light and love, even on days when he himself wasn’t so full of light and love. They shone like the constellation he was named after – the brightest constellation in the sky, especially in the month of June. Albus was proud to have been born in the month when his stars shone brightest, even though Scorpius shone bright all year round.

He was truly and utterly and helplessly in love with him.

And Scorpius was truly, utterly and helplessly in love with him back.

And that made everything worthwhile.

“Why are you staring at me?” Scorpius asked, pulling Albus from his daze and back to reality. Scorpius was looking at him now, the faintest of smiles on his beautiful lips.

“Because you’re beautiful.” Albus wasn’t about to lie to the boy who owned his heart. Scorpius’ lips grew into a wide uncontrollable grin, blushing furiously and shying his head away. Albus loved when he got all shy, loved when he was one hundred percent irrevocably honest. “Especially when you do that.”

“Stooppp,” he whined, but the smile was still present. Albus’ own face mimicked him.

“Love, we’ve been dating for a year and a half, and you still get shy whenever I compliment you. How is that not totally adorable?”

“I am not adorable, I am fierce and strong, and I’ll prove it,” he teased, grabbing Albus by his jumper and pulling him out the open corridor into a more inconspicuous passage. Hogwarts had plenty of corridors made for hiding and he was almost sure he and Scorpius had made out in every one of them.

With a daring grin on his lips, Scorpius pushed Albus up against the wall and pressed his own body against him. Untrue to his word, however, Scorpius kissed him the way Scorpius always kissed him: gentle and sweet, as though he may break. Albus had never understood why Scorpius kissed him so gently. Out of the two of them, it was Scorpius who was more susceptible to breaking over Albus. Where Albus was smaller than Scorpius, he was broader with a lot more muscle, whereas Scorpius had a skinny frame, and was all legs and arms.

“You were doing so well,” Albus grinned when Scorpius pulled away, his face breaking into a pout at Albus’ words. “I treat you like a rag doll, yet you treat me like a china doll, you couldn’t be fierce with me even if you tried,” Albus teased.

“I’m sorry I-“

“Don’t apologise. I’m teasing, I like it. It’s completely _adorable_ ,” Scorpius rolled his eyes, still pouting. “It just means I’ll have to lead,” Albus had a grin on his face as he moved off the wall, pushing Scorpius’ body with his own to the other side of the wall.

“I won’t complain about that.” Albus pressed his lips into Scorpius’ with intent. He kissed him with fierceness and rigour, his hands running through Scorpius’ hair and Scorpius’ hands roamed Albus’ sides and back under his shirt. Why Scorpius could kiss him back with just as much fire when Albus initiated the kiss was something he’d never understand, but something he always loved. He guessed Scorpius was just too much of a gentle giant without encouragement.

They stayed like that for what seemed like hours but couldn’t have been more than a few moments. Their lips connected with no time to come up for breath because if they parted then the whole world would collapse. They were like magnets, drawn to each other by gravitational pull, unable to part-

“Did you hear that?” Scorpius said, pulling away from Albus’ lips leaving behind a tingling sensation. Albus hadn’t heard anything.

“No,” Albus said, breathless, and leaned back into him, once again connecting their lips but Scorpius was preoccupied and not kissing him back.

“Seriously, you didn’t?” Albus sighed and shook his head. Scorpius’ head snapped towards the alcove opening, following the thudding sound that came from the open corridor. _That_ he heard. Scorpius removed himself from between Albus and the wall and crept silently, staying mostly hidden but poking around the corner slightly. Albus followed, keeping back and letting him observe.

“Shouldn’t you be down in the dungeons, snake?” A voice snarled followed by the dropping of books. Albus didn’t recognise it. Whatever was occurring hardened Scorpius’ expression. He clenched his jaw in anger and Albus had to try his hardest to refrain from kissing it, that would not be well received. Or maybe it would have been.

“I..er.. it.. erm,” a voice stammered, a small one and Albus guessed it was from a first year.

“This up here is the land of the lions, alright? Snakes go down below where they belong.”

“Hey!” Scorpius shouted, startling Albus, and emerged from their corridor to face the bully and his young victim. Albus reluctantly followed. Being a victim of bullying himself, Scorpius had a high moral standing when it comes to protecting others, even if he refused to protect himself. “What’s going on here?”

“What’s it to you, Malfoy?” Scorpius and Albus didn’t know the tall boy with a crumpled nose standing in front of them, but he seemed to know them. The first-year boy looked at them thankfully, his robes crumpled under the grip of the taller boy.

“Just leave him alone, he’s just a kid.” He tried to keep his voice steady, but Albus could hear the slight tremble. Despite his front, Scorpius really hated confrontation. The other boy let go of the first-year - who quickly backed himself into the wall upon his release - and turned to face Scorpius properly. Albus nearly stepped in front of him but refrained himself. Scorpius didn’t need protecting, though Albus often forgot that.

“What’re you gonna do, huh? Jinx me? Word down in the Gryffindor common room is you can do it wandlessly. Typical of Voldemort’s son to be so powerful,” Albus waited for Scorpius to wince, but he never did. He held his stance and kept his face contorted in anger.

“You know that word is true, so back off before you regret it,” he spat, the other boy snarled in response. Unable to form an adequate comeback, the boy followed orders and backed off, but not before pushing the first-year boy up against the wall and strutting down the corridor. Once out of sight, Scorpius made his way over the boy, who had fallen to the floor on impact, and crouched down to his height.

“Hey, did you hurt yourself?” He asked in a voice so soft Albus had a hard time believing that he was the same person as before. It just proved what a big softie he really was. The young boy sniffled and nodded his head, raising his elbow to Scorpius. The boys’ jumper was ripped slightly and through the hole there was a small graze.

“Okay,” Scorpius said, rolling the boys sleeve up and observing the graze properly. Albus went over to hand him his glasses that Albus had stolen in the heat of their make-out session. Scorpius thanked him and put them on. “Would you like me fix you up?” The boy nodded slowly.

“What’s your name?” Albus asked, bending down alongside Scorpius and giving the boy a warm smile.

“Julian, but most people call me Jules.” Julian’s voice was so quiet that Albus barely heard him and Scorpius was preoccupied observing his small injury, his wand sitting precariously between his teeth – a habit he’d never been able to kick. He looked insanely adorable in that moment, and Albus knew that he’d fit right in at St Mungo’s once he’d qualified to become a healer. He was destined for it.

“Hi, Jules. I’m Albus and this is Scorpius, first-year, right?” He nodded. “Welcome to Slytherin,” he said warmly, utterly and totally proud of his house. Albus remembered the fear he felt when the hat declared him as Slytherin. He knew it came with relentless teasing from his family and forever being deemed the ‘evil’ house, no matter how much Slytherin tried to shake the image. However, the Slytherin common room felt right and Albus quickly adjusted to his new home. He was a Slytherin to the bone and he was proud of it.

“Thanks,” to his surprise, Julian smiled. “And thanks for intervening.”

“Our pleasure,” Scorpius said, finally speaking up. Turns out he had been listening to the conversation. “You’re all fixed up, good as new, I even stitched your jumper,” he smiled sincerely, rising to his full height and offering Julian his hand which he gratefully took. He surveyed his elbow himself, finding no evidence of the graze.

“Woah, where’d you learn that?” Scorpius chuckled at his enthusiasm.

“A witch at St. Mungo’s taught me it over the summer. Shall we head down to the dorm? It’s getting close to curfew and Emily is probably wondering where you are.” Julian nodded, and Scorpius looked to Albus, a happy grin on his face, lighting up his eyes.

Scorpius grabbed Albus’ hand and the three of them began the descent down to the Slytherin dormitory, slipping into easy conversation about the summer and where Julian was from, how he spent his summer and how he liked Hogwarts. Scorpius rambled about the history of Hogwarts and even though Julian looked bored, he nodded along, listening to every word. Albus, once again, couldn’t help but admire the ball of sunshine he called his boyfriend. He was utterly smitten. And he wouldn’t want it any other way.


	2. An Overpowering Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Nothing too big, but panic attacks and talking about them!

“Your final year project can be on anything you’d like, from Charms to Herbology, Potions or Divination, what’s important is that it is unique. A theory yet untested, a piece of research yet to be discovered, something that stands out from the crowd. I suspect you all already have some ideas floating around in those brilliant brains of yours,” consciously or unconsciously, Professor Applebys’ eyes landed on Scorpius, who smiled back at him, eyes alight with fascination. Albus rolled his eyes, a gesture he knew Scorpius saw from the corner of his eye and smiled fondly.

Professor Appleby made head of Slytherin house last year once the former head had fallen so ill she was no longer able to work. Albus thought it a blessing in disguise, to which Scorpius scolded him for. They had both liked the former head of house fine enough, but they much preferred Appleby, who was willing to give them both the time of day. Albus sometimes tagged along to some of the lessons Professor Appleby gave Scorpius in private and had become quite the student. He, of course, didn’t compare to his many other more talented class mates, but Professor Appleby was altogether pleased with his progress. However, Appleby told them at the end of last year that he had to drop the extra lessons, much to Scorpius’ dismay, claiming there was nothing left to teach him. Scorpius objected - there was always more to learn - but Appleby left it at that. Scorpius had sulked for the rest of the day.

“I’ll give you five minutes brain storming time and then come ‘round individually to scope out some ideas.” He gestured wildly with his hands to tell them to get to work. Their first class that morning wasn’t a class they’d be having all year round, it was just an introduction to their final year project – a thesis of sorts Minister Granger-Weasley introduced her third year as Minister for Magic. Mostly, they were expected to work on it alone, seeking help from their head of house if needed, or if there was another Professor that better suited their project then they could seek them out also. The seventh years knew it would be the death of them, another weight piled on top of their upcoming N.E.W.Ts.

Scorpius, however, seemed quite excited and Albus couldn’t fathom why. He guessed it was simply because he was a giant nerd.

“Now can we talk about our projects? What’s everyone thinking?” Emily spoke from behind them, catching the attention of Albus and Scorpius, the latter whom was scribbling notes onto a piece of parchment. Of course, he already had ideas, whereas Albus only had one and it was a long shot anyway. The two boys turned to face her. Marcy, who was sat beside Emily, looked in about as much distress as a Mandrake ripped from its pot. Leo had pulled up a stool beside their desk, abandoning his previous desk partner – a girl none of them had ever particularly liked.

“Nothing,” Marcy grumbled, throwing her hands around her face and dropping dramatically onto the desk.

“Come on, Marce, we’ll think of something together, I have loads of ideas,” Scorpius assured, sending her an enthusiastic grin despite her eyes facing the wooden desk, probably closed.

“But those are _your_ ideas, not mine,” she mumbled, her voice muffled from her sleeves.

“That’s okay.” He assured.

“No,” she spat, her head shooting up and sending a glare his way. Scorpius flinched slightly. “It’s not okay.” Her voice was firmer than Albus had ever heard it, he would have been proud of her in literally any other situation, but Albus felt slightly angry at her. Scorpius was only trying to help. Scorpius was always only trying to help people. It was what made him such an incredible person.

Albus watched as Scorpius swallowed a lump in his throat and turned back around to hunch over his desk, scribbling notes once again. He pushed his glasses up his nose when they fell slightly.

“Harsh, Marce,” Leo spoke quietly. Usually the group trod on eggshells when they were around Scorpius, knowing exactly how sensitive he could be. That’s what happens when you wear your heart on your sleeve. Albus turned back to Scorpius, tuning out the mini argument that the other three had found themselves in.

“You okay?” He asked, and Scorpius nodded, refusing to look up from his parchment. Albus sighed and began rubbing circles on his back. He smiled sadly at the boy. Scorpius hated when people were angry at him, especially if all he was doing was trying to help. Normally Marcy welcomed Scorpius’ aid. She’d passed all her O.W.Ls thanks to him, even earning herself a spot in Advanced Herbology. She often never believed in herself, even though she had proved countless times that she was capable of achieving if she just put her head down and tried. And maybe she’d have to try harder than everyone else, but so did Albus and that was okay.

“Scorpius, Albus!” Professor Appleby beamed, causing both the boys to look up at him, not that they had to look far, Professor Appleby had never been a very tall man. He had approached them first, obviously knowing that Scorpius probably had a thousand ideas. “What are we thinking?” He pulled a stool up and sat on the other side of their table, eyes flicking to Scorpius’ notes and back between the two boys.

“Well,” Scorpius began, excitement taking over his previous feeling of sorrow. His eyes quickly flicked to Albus. “Did you want to go first?” He asked and Albus shook his head, letting him take the floor.

“Okay, so I have a few ideas, but I know which one I really want to do so I’ll tell you that one,” he started, earning an appreciative nod from Professor Appleby. “It’s a research project that will hopefully lead to a purely hypothetical cure. The idea is that I gather research from all previous attempts of cures and put all of that together, then draw on basic ideas that may have been overlooked in the past that may or may not be quite an important factor. Obviously, the whole end result is completely theoretical because there’s no way I’d get ethical permission to test it, also finding someone to be the test subject would be pretty difficult so there’s that and-“

“Scorpius?” Professor Appleby interrupted, a singular eyebrow raised in confusion.

“Hmm?” Scorpius hummed in answer, eyes wide behind his glasses and biting his lower lip.

“A cure for what exactly? You’ve skipped around that for some reason.” From the way Scorpius was blinking more often than usual, Albus could tell his headache was becoming increasingly worse.

“Blood malediction,” he stated and Albus’ heart ached for him. It’s only natural, he guessed, to want to research the very thing that killed his mother. A thing that now resided in his blood waiting for the next heir to pounce on. Professor Appleby sighed only slightly, but they both noticed. “You don’t like the idea?” Scorpius asked, slumping his shoulders, any sign of previous excitement vanishing.

“It’s not that I don’t like it, but don’t you think it’s a little close to home?” Professor Appleby deliberated. Scorpius shrugged, his hand rising to rub his temple.

“That’s exactly why I have to try it, Professor. This curse lives inside me, now, it’s part of my blood and if I have children and they have children there’s a chance one of them might catch it too and I don’t want to lose anyone else to it. And it’s not just that, thousands of wizards suffer from blood curses, wouldn’t it be amazing if I could stop that? Or just contribute some research to it.” Scorpius spoke so fast he struggled to catch his breath between words.

“It is a fantastic idea in theory but-“

“Better wizards than me have tried?” Scorpius interrupted, suddenly finding some bite to his words.

“Not better, but wizards have tried, what would make this different?”

“Because I’m looking in places they’ve never looked before. Professor, I’ve already started this research, I started it when I was nine-years-old. I promised my mother I’d find a cure and that’s exactly what I’m planning on doing. This research will be done either way, I’m just trying to give myself a head start.” The way he spoke so passionately and firmly could make anyone fall at his knees. Albus knew Professor Appleby would have a hard time denying him the opportunity to research it, no one could ever say no to Scorpius Malfoy.

“Okay, fine. But just be aware of the consequences of reliving past trauma, if this gets too much for your mental health I’m pulling the plug, got it?” Scorpius nodded solemnly.

“Yes, Professor.” His voice had a brittle edge to it and he, once again, found himself chewing away at his bottom lip. Albus resisted the urge to grab his hand and tell him to stop, knowing what a horrible habit it was.

“Good, now, Albus?” The eyes of both Professor Appleby and Scorpius were now on him, boring into his soul. He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself to get shot down. He had never been very good at thinking up new and imaginative ideas, but Teddy had helped him with this one and he felt almost proud of the idea – if he could pull it off, of course.

“I will be creating a potion, obviously, it’s the only thing I’m good at,” Scorpius scoffed and rolled his eyes at him, forcing down the urge to object. Albus only smiled at him. “But I want to create a potion that will reduce the effects of the Lycanthropy. Whether it will work, I don’t know but it’s worth a shot.” Scorpius was now grinning at him, looking incredibly proud. It made Albus feel proud of himself, too.

“Very good, Mr Potter. Make sure you run this by Professor Wing, she might have some useful advice for you.”

“Yes, Professor.” Professor Appleby smiled at them both before moving on to the next students.

Albus couldn’t help but beam himself. His idea had been accepted, he was officially given the get go to test out potions that could change someone’s life. This is what he wanted, this was the future he longed for. For a long time, Albus’ magical ability was useless, but potions didn’t need spell work or magical ability, just a careful touch and Albus had that. Potions had called out to him and Albus had answered with gratitude. So now being able to put all his knowledge and eagerness into something new, something he was creating, sent shivers down his spine. It ignited a flame in him he never knew existed.

“Where’d that come from?” Scorpius asked, half surprised and half excited. He leaned in towards Albus, his cheek resting in his hand, bunching up the one side of his face and making him look unfairly adorable.

“I was talking to Teddy over the summer about his dad and things and I don’t know, just came to me, I guess. Like I said, I don’t know if it’ll work or anything but-”

“Al, of course it will work,” he interrupted, taking Albus’ hand in his own. “You’re a brilliant Potioneer and I am so proud of you,” he beamed, leaning forward and placing the smallest of kisses on Albus’ cheek.

“Thanks, Scor.”

 

* * *

 

 

The first week passed quickly due to the heavy start of seventh year and Friday rolled around faster than expected. Scorpius Malfoy wandered between the shelves of books, fascinated by each and every title. It took everything in him to refrain from checking them all out, desperate for new pieces of information to feed his hungry addiction. No, Scorpius was looking for something specific.

The Restricted Section of the library was significantly quieter than the main expanse. Generally, the library was always quiet the first few weeks back, but this section left an eerie presence. It was an aura that both frightened and excited him. Beyond the rope were thousands of books on dark magic, maledictions, advanced potions, dangerous plants, unbreakable vows and Scorpius’ heart ached out of curiosity.

Being a N.E.W.T-level student meant that the Restricted Section was no longer so restricted, and he could roam freely among the shelves. The smell of musky old books filled his nose with pleasure. There were very few places Scorpius felt completely content; being surrounded by books meant feeling at warm with the world. He was surrounded by some of the greatest minds in the world and he ached to drink up every single word, to fill his head with knowledge kept secret from younger children, to fill an aching void.

Running his hands along the spines left behind a trail, dust from the old untouched books collecting on his fingertips. His wandering hand stopped at the title he’d been looking for, dusting away the settled particles and pulling the heavy book from its shelf. Sitting down exactly where he stood, he lay the book over his crossed legs, eager to ply through the pages.

_Blood Maledictions and the Fatal Consequences._

Unable to contain his enthusiasm, Scorpius carefully opened the cover, hoping it wouldn’t decay under his touch. The book looked like it had never been checked out before, but it had, only once back in 2000 to a one Astoria Greengrass.

A pounding in his chest grew stronger, faster and more prominent by the second. His mother was the last person to read this book and Scorpius wondered if she was sat in this very spot, moments from reading about her fate. Had she known then her life would be so short? Had she thought about her future and the child she may bear? Or did she feel completely alone and lost? Did she never think herself good enough for marriage? Did she believe her curse meant a life of loneliness and darkness, because who could ever love a dying woman?

 _My father could,_ thought Scorpius.

How scared she must have been, all alone in a world so cruel. She was a cursed child forced to live out her days in agonising pain. And for what? A short glimpse of the happy life she could have lived? She got a loving husband and a healthy, happy child, but what did she have to sacrifice for those things? She would never see her son grow up, never see him get married, never grandmother his children. She would never grow old herself alongside the man she loved. There was a world unexplored she’d never be able to see, oceans she’d never swim, skies she’d never fly. And for what?

 _Me,_ thought Scorpius.

Astoria Malfoy was a brave, strong young woman. She bore childbirth when healers told her it would weaken her dramatically. She lived another thirteen years despite expectation. She loved her son with every fibre of her being because she knew one day she would leave him in a world so cruel. She protected him from a world she’d known as unforgiving with the knowledge that he would one day face it all alone. She’d pray every night that the world would show her some mercy by showing her son kindness. She’d sacrificed her own life for her son and put her trust in the world.

 _The world failed you, mum,_ thought Scorpius.

A pain throbbed through his head matching his beating heart, blinding him momentarily. The world spun around him, whirlwinds of brown and black, of grey and white twisting in his vision. The agonising scream of pain came involuntarily as he clutched at his skull, squeezing and crushing to try and make it stop. Eyes clenched shut, forcing away the dizziness. Fingers clawed his hair, tugging away furiously as he prayed and prayed to be rid of the pain.

It stopped nearly as quick as it started.

Scorpius removed his hands from his hair, attempting to smooth it out as he did so. He opened his eyes, revealing a room very much still, though his light-headedness left him feeling slightly disoriented. Scorpius gathered his things, including the book, and stumbled out to Madame Junipers’ desk, requesting to check out the book. She obliged, muttering away about return dates and reading off a list about the requirements of checking out a Restricted Section book that Scorpius was only half listening to. But, how could he listen? His head pounded in his skull and his heart pounded in his ears.

When she was done, Scorpius quickly thanked her and stumbled out the library, barely able to see where he was going. He clutched the book to his chest, blinking away the tears that formed in his eyes and blurred his vision. The dizziness was starting to ease up as he made his way through the halls. The effect of the pounding headache was beginning to subside, and Scorpius felt like he could breathe again.

In the daze, Scorpius had travelled through the castle and out onto the grounds, heading towards Hagrid’s Hut, his mind apparently only on one thing: Albus. Albus had Care of Magical Creatures class now whereas Scorpius had a free, he’d thought he’d use the time to get a head start on reading for his project as no other classes had set homework yet. It was only the first week back, after all.

Scorpius remembered how Albus chatted on excitedly about the upcoming lesson on Porlocks that morning at breakfast. Scorpius could only watch in awe. Excited Albus was his favourite kind. The way his emerald eyes ignited up when he got enthusiastic was like the sun hitting the grass in springtime, sharpening the shards of green. They were mesmerising, and Scorpius was sure he could get lost in them forever. They were like ocean waves dancing in a storm, and Scorpius would let himself drown.

His mind was still in a fog when he reached the clearing for the Care of Magical Creatures class. It was a small class, not many carried the subject on to N.E.W.T level, though Albus had a way with magical creatures that others didn’t. Scorpius would have taken the class himself, but there were other more important subjects needed to become a Healer. Under any other circumstances, Scorpius would never have bothered Albus in class. But right now, he felt lost and scared and he _needed_ him to hold him and perhaps that was selfish but without him Scorpius felt weak.

“Albus?” Even his own voice sounded foreign in his head. His glazed over eyes – was he wearing his glasses? – immediately fell on the shaggy raven hair of his boyfriend, whose head shot up at the sound of his name. His face instantly contorted with worry. Other students caught a glimpse of him but quickly found themselves uninterested in the mess standing in front of them, and Hagrid was yet to notice him, caught up in conversation with a small group of students.

“Scor?” Albus was at his side in a second, holding his arms and guiding him over to tree stump to sit on, detecting that he was about to lose sense of his footing. He wasn’t, Scorpius could stand perfectly fine, it was just the pounding in his head making it hard to see. Scorpius put his hand to his face – he was, in fact, wearing his glasses, meaning the blurriness wasn’t coming from his lack of 2020 vision. “Are you okay, what’s happened?”

“Nothing, I’m sorry I shouldn’t have bothered you in lesson, I was being selfish because I needed you but really I should have waited because you were so excited but I was scared because I had another headache but it felt sort of different this time and I weren’t sure how to handle it and you always know how to calm me down and I guess I felt a little overwhelmed so I came here. I didn’t even realise I was here until well I was here and then I just kept going because-“

“Woah, woah, woah, Scor, calm down, okay? It’s okay, I don’t mind, and neither will Hagrid. Just take a deep breath, okay?” Scorpius did as was told, breathless from the words that tumbled out of his mouth seemingly uncontrollably. Albus shuffled closer to him, touching their thighs and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Have you seen Madame Pomfrey?” Scorpius shook his head.

“I came straight here.”

“Have you been crying?” Albus asked, his voice laced with concern. Scorpius didn’t know. Had he? He didn’t remember crying, then he didn’t remember the entire walk down to Hagrid’s Hut. His face did feel kind of tight, like the wind had dried up the tears.

“Maybe, I don’t know.” If Albus looked concerned before, it was nothing compared to how he looked now.

“I’m taking you to Madame Pomfrey,” he stated simply and rose from his seat. Scorpius grabbed his hand.

“No, no, please. I’m fine. I’m okay. Just a momentary relapse. I’ll move on from it. I don’t know what it was exactly, but I will.” Albus, unconvinced, sat back down.

“What happened?”

“I was in the library reading when one of my infamous headaches’ came out. Though it felt stronger this time, as strong as they were last year. I guess in the absence of schoolwork and stress that the pain relieved slightly, but since starting school it’s started back up again. It sent me all dizzy and light-headed, the room seemed to spin faster than a time-turner and I could hear my head and my heart pounding. Next thing I knew I was leaving the library and I ended up here.”

“If I didn’t know any better I’d say the headache triggered a panic attack.”

“No, I’ve had panic attacks before. My chest felt tight, but I _could_ breathe, usually I struggle to catch my breath so bad I feel like I’m dying. This didn’t feel like that.”

“Panic attacks don’t always mean being unable to breathe. Sometimes dad has them where he just zones out, you could be talking, and he won’t be able to see or hear you. He gets a little bit like how you just were, you know, eyes unfocused, dizzy, rambled speech. It’s okay, though.”

“I know. Feels weird though. I didn’t like it,” Scorpius spoke slowly, as if trying to gather his thoughts. Albus smiled sadly and pulled him in closer, resting his head on Scorpius’ shoulder. His thumb rubbed circles over Scorpius’ hand, telling him it was okay, that his heavy heart could breathe. Relief flooded over Scorpius like a blanket. Albus always had that effect. Scorpius could be having the worst day of his life and Albus would turn the rain into a rainbow with just his striking presence. He could turn dark to light and cold to warmth within seconds. Scorpius loved him for it.

“I do have to finish this lesson, you going to be okay?” Albus lifted his head to look at Scorpius, who nodded.

“Yeah, I’m going to go to the lake and wait for you,” Albus nodded, kissing Scorpius on the cheek and wishing him goodbye. Scorpius watched him make his way back over to the group he was working with, greeting the Porlock with more enthusiasm than the people. Scorpius would sit and watch him all day if he could, but he couldn’t, so he made his way to lake.

Scorpius set up shop underneath a small oak tree that overlooked the lake. The sun wouldn’t be shining so warmly for much longer and Scorpius liked to bask in it for as long as he could, despite how cruel it was to his fair skin. The late afternoon warmth sent a current through his body and despite the day’s events, he found himself smiling. He watched as the sun glistened off the tops of the lake, reflecting off the surface water creating a yellow and green hue. It was one of the most beautiful things he’d ever seen. Laughter from nearby students filled his ears with joy as they sat contently in each other’s company.

When Albus joined him, the world seemed even brighter. The other boy flopped down onto his back, laying his head in Scorpius’ lap and resting his eyes. He spoke blissfully about his class, excitement clear in his usual grumpy tone. Every now and again he’d look up at him with those big, beading green eyes and smile the brightest smiles when he realised Scorpius was looking back. Scorpius would fight wars for that smile.

By the time dinner rolled around a mere hour later, Scorpius found himself too content to move and he wouldn’t have if Albus hadn’t half-dragged him. On their way up, he turned for one last look at the lake. He admired its gentle flow and silent whispers and despite the horrors below the surface, it was simply beautiful.

Maybe, just maybe, the world isn’t half as bad as it’s painted to be.

 

* * *

 

 

_Dad,_

_I’m worried about Scorpius. Maybe this is something you don’t want to hear, but I need you to. He seems different. He’s more frantic than usual, and even I didn’t think that was possible. He can be completely fine one minute and the next his mood has completely changed. He never goes moody with me or anything, he’s always fine with me. It’s with himself that his moods seem to change. He can’t always look me in the eye anymore, they always search around frantically. But, like I said sometimes it’s fine._

_I don’t know. Maybe it’s these headaches’, they seem to be getting worse and he’s started getting panic attacks like you do, you know the ones where you zone out or where your eyes go foggy. Just like that. He’s had three like it since Friday and it’s only Tuesday!_

_Maybe I’m being paranoid, and this probably isn’t what you wanted to hear in your first letter from your son in his seventh year. But I’m really worried about him and he doesn’t seem to be worried about himself. Any advice?_

_Anyway, seventh year is going fine. I’ve picked a topic for my final year project, me and Teddy were talking about it over the summer and Professor Appleby and Professor Wing seem to like the idea of it. It’s a potion to reduce the effects of Lycanthropy! I just hope I can pull it off, Scorpius seems adamant I can. He’s always had more faith in me than I’ve had in myself. Other than that, lessons are fine, not much to report back on that behalf. Though homework has come in heavy since second week started – do N.E.W.Ts actually give you time to breathe? Not that you’d know, I guess._

_Anyway, speak to you soon. Love you!_

_Albus._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope ya'll are enjoying it so far!! Let me know :D


	3. You Make Things Quiet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three up and ready to go! Hope ya'll are enjoying it so far!

_Albus,_

_I’m sure whatever is going on with Scorpius is just related to stress. You’ve said yourself how little time you’ve had and it’s only the beginning of N.E.W.Ts. The best thing you could do is talk to him and express your worries, keeping your thoughts to yourself is never good in a relationship. You and Scorpius are always open with each other, don’t stop doing that now. I’ve never seen a healthier relationship between two people so young. I’m sure whatever it is the two of you will work it out together._

_It’s lovely to hear from you, Albus. I’m glad your seventh year is going well, you know how much of a big year it is! Your final year project sounds amazing! I would love to hear more about it once you’ve got the basics covered, it’s something you know has always been very close to my heart because of Remus and Teddy. Me and your mother are so proud of you and wish you all the best!_

_Don’t hesitate to owl if you need anything. I hope everything is okay. I love you._

_Dad._

The owl from his father arrived three days later and honestly did little to put his mind at rest about Scorpius. He had only seen him briefly that morning. A quick flash of light as he pecked Albus on the lips and rushed out the dorm room to his class, Albus noted he’d skipped breakfast. Albus had a free that morning, where the two boys shared most classes together, Albus had Care of Magical Creatures, which Scorpius had dropped in favour of Muggle Studies, which meant their timetables differed slightly.

However, he would be seeing him in Charms class just before lunch and Albus had decided to grab him a breakfast bagel from the kitchens when he visited himself, knowing Scorpius would appreciate it.

“You seem quiet this morning,” Emily pondered, poking Albus in the side and emitting a fairly feminine squeal from him followed by a short chuckle. Emily grinned victoriously at him. The two were making their way to charms together as they both had a free that morning.

“Do you think Scorpius is acting strange?” He asked, dancing around her previous comment. She shrugged, adjusting the bag on her shoulder and looking at Albus sympathetically.

“He seems like normal to me, you know, frantic, constantly moving and never slowing down. Honestly, he exhausts me just watching him, and I’m supposed to be the one who’s constantly distracted with Head Girl duties and all.” Albus chuckled again. It was true that Scorpius never seemed to breathe. He always had to be somewhere, always had to do something. Albus had noticed he could never keep his hands still. It was like he always had to be moving as fast as the thoughts in his brain.

There was one night back in their sixth year that Albus had always remembered. The memory burned into the back of his mind and resurfaced whenever Scorpius had that distant look in his eye or was constantly on the move. They were sat in the common room, almost everyone else had gone to bed, and the two had claimed the sofa nearest the fire. The light embers shone softly against Scorpius’ pale skin and hair, illuminating him in a soft orange. He was sat with his arms wrapped around his knees and curled into a ball facing Albus in grey slacks and one of Albus’ t-shirts he’d grown fond of wearing to bed. It smelled like him. Scorpius liked things that smelled like him.

That night was the most beautiful he’d ever seen him. He was open and honest, flushed slightly from the heat of the fire. His hair only just dry from the shower and it hung over his face, but not enough to cover his bright grey eyes. That night they sat talking facing each other, close enough to touch but far away enough that Albus felt a distant chill. Usually, they were wrapped up in each other, close to slumber and talked sleepily, but that night they wanted to look at each other. They wanted to take in the other person as much as they could. It had been a heavy week with mock exams, they’d barely seen each other so when the week was over, they craved each other like a drug.

Scorpius had inched closer to him, drinking him in. His eyes never settled on a single part of Albus’ face, they were constantly moving like he couldn’t decide which part he liked best. But finally, he settled on his eyes. “You make things quiet,” he had whispered, barely audible over the crack of the flames. “My brain moves so fast that sometimes I feel suffocated. I don’t feel like that with you. You make everything quiet.”

“Is that a good thing?” Albus had asked, because he didn’t know. Things with him were the opposite. Scorpius made his thoughts rapid. He was constantly overwhelmed with him and his brain struggled to keep up. Scorpius was amazing, intelligent, beautiful, strong, brave, resourceful, funny, empathetic, adorable, perfect and so much else and Albus was reminded of it every time he saw him. His brain wouldn’t let him rest, Albus didn’t want it to let him. He wanted to be blown away by Scorpius every single day and every single day he was. That never got boring.

“The best,” he had said, with a small smile on his face. They were so different yet completely the same. They both loved each other with every ounce of their being and it grew stronger every day. They loved each other the same way, wholeheartedly and all at once. But the effect they had on each other was different. Albus quietened Scorpius’ mind, made it easier to think and breathe. Whereas Scorpius sent his own mind racing at a hundred miles per hour, but he loved it. They had opposite effects, but the love was the same. It was a pure kind of love, the kind Albus hoped would never die.

“Al?”

“Hmm?”

“Lost you there for a moment,” Emily chuckled, pulling Albus from his thoughts on Scorpius. That was another effect the boy had on him, he could never stop thinking about him. It was a blessing and curse. The blessing was that he got to think about his gorgeous boyfriend all the time without prompt, the curse was that he often found himself drifting off in classes or during important conversations – much like this one – when he really should have been listening.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “Just, he is always like you said, but I feel like it’s worse than normal. We’re two weeks into N.E.W.Ts and I’ve already barely seen him.” Truthfully, he missed him. Even though they saw each other every day, even if they were only short moments, he missed him. He wanted to spend every waking moment with him. That, of course, was impossible. Even after school they’d both be thrown into hectic jobs, they probably would see each other even less than at school. They wouldn’t be living together, or at least they hadn’t discussed that, and with Scorpius undoubtedly at Healer school and Albus doing whatever he decided with potions, the odds are they’d be able to see each other maybe twice a week. Albus did not like the thought of that.

“I’m sure he’s just stressed and things, and with his headaches’ as well, can’t be easy. I’d hate not knowing what was wrong with me,” she mused, pouting her lips as they turned the corner and headed into the charms classroom. Leo and Marcy were already seated, the latter had apologised for her outburst at Scorpius the previous week to which he told her she was obviously forgiven and that there was no need to apologise. Scorpius was too nice for his own good. Scorpius, however, was stood on the opposite side to where they normally sat in deep conversation with Rose Granger-Weasley.

Albus’ cousin was a woman of mystery, truly. Half way through sixth year, Rose had decided she no longer wanted to be at war with her cousin and tried to make amends. Albus had only accepted her attempts at Lily’s request, who wanted to make sure the last remaining Weasley’s and Potters at Hogwarts were on good terms. Since then, he and Rose had mended the broken relationship they had, even though she still rather irritated Albus quite a lot.

Rose had apologised profusely to Scorpius, who – being the annoyingly nice person that he is – had forgiven her quite fast, even apologising himself for also not being a great person to her. Though Scorpius had never been nasty to Rose to her face, he kept most of his thoughts to himself. So, the relationship between the three of them had begun to repair, much to Lily’s delight. He hadn’t, however, seen Scorpius engaged in a full-blown conversation with her before without Albus being present.

Albus had caught Scorpius’ eye the moment he walked in and Albus sent a “what’s this about?” expression his way before taking a seat next to his friends. Scorpius wrapped up the conversation quickly and made his way over, dropping down on the seat next to Albus and planting a sloppy kiss on his cheek.

“Sorry, we were discussing our Muggle Studies project, we’ve been partnered up and didn’t quite finish our discussion before class ended. You know how carried away I can get,” he rambled by way of explanation. Albus didn’t really need an explanation, but he was thankful that Scorpius provided one.

“For you,” Albus spoke presenting the breakfast bagel he had picked up for him. Watching Scorpius’ face light up with glee was the best thing Albus had seen that morning.

“Oh, wow, honestly you are the best boyfriend a guy could ask for.” Scorpius accepted the bagel graciously and began picking away at it.

“You shouldn’t have missed breakfast this morning,” Albus only half-teased, the other half a discreet chastisement. Scorpius’ bright wide smile faltered and Albus felt guilty for bringing it up.

“I know, I’m sorry. I overslept and didn’t have time.” Scorpius never overslept. Had he forgot to set his alarm? No. Scorpius never forgot anything. “I didn’t wake you when I got in last night did I?” Albus shook his head. “Good, I was worried I did but I tried to be quiet and tried not to move too much when I was settling in next to you.” They didn’t sleep in separate beds anymore. They hadn’t since fifth year, the night of the ball when Scorpius asked him to stay. Albus would never want to sleep in a separate bed anymore, whenever he did over the holidays it felt like a part of him was missing. Scorpius really was his better half.

“Don’t worry. Besides, I don’t think anything could ever wake me up.”

“True, you sleep like a log,” Scorpius chuckled, finishing off his bagel and sending a winning smile in Albus’ direction. Albus had to take a deep breath as he nearly forgot to breathe. Wow, Scorpius was breath-taking. “You’re doing it again,” Scorpius spoke softly, eyes boring into Albus’ and the smallest of smiles playing on his lips. His cheeks had flushed red, a stark contrast to his pale skin.

“Doing what?” Albus questioned, oblivious to his own staring.

“Staring at me with that adorable smile. It’s almost like you can’t blink because if you did I’d disappear.” Albus tore his eyes away from Scorpius, a painful action really. He would look at him all day if he needed. Scorpius brought him joy and wonder in the same way the stars would if you looked at them long enough. But then, he was like a star in himself: beautiful, bright, shining, out of this world. Scorpius emitted light in the way that no human being ever had. Albus felt for sure he was crafted by the stars themselves.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, struggling to keep the smile from his lips. Scorpius’ reached a cold hand over, placing it under his chin and turned his head to face him. Albus’ breath caught at the sight of him, his face closer to him that he expected.

“Don’t apologise, I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” He planted a small, chaste kiss on his lips. It was a Scorpius kiss, one where Albus was a delicate little flower. It was the kind of kiss he held onto most because they meant the most. They were little reassurances between the two of them, locking a promise into place, securing words spoken between them.

“Get a room,” Leo scoffed beside them, but when Albus and Scorpius turned he was grinning widely. Emily slapped him lightly on the arm whilst Marcy looked on with a smile on her lips that didn’t quite meet her eyes. Albus didn’t have time to wonder why before Scorpius’ light tone bought him back into the conversation.

“We have a room, you just happen to be in it,” Scorpius quipped, sending a mischievous grin in Leo’s direction.

“Touché, Scorpy,” Scorpius rolled his eyes at the hated nickname but laughed along with Leo. The two boys continued passing witty insults back and forth until Professor Flitwick began the lesson. Albus noticed with a heavy heart every time Scorpius scrunched his nose in discomfort and prayed to every being that his headaches would subside soon. Albus hated seeing him in pain.

 

* * *

 

 

Days and nights seemed to blur together, time felt like an illusion that refused to slow down. Every time he’d hear the tick-tock of a clock or be awakened to a new day by the over-bearing sunlight, he was reminded that time was a concept that never truly existed. It certainly didn’t feel real. Days passed in a haze, each so similar to the day before, nothing that truly stood out. Night passed too quickly, barely giving him enough time to sleep. Sleep was a thing of luxury for him, something that never settled long enough to make him feel at peace. Time was screwing him over, time never seemed to give him enough time for anything, time ticked away rapidly day by day and he could barely keep up. Time would never let him catch up.

Scorpius rubbed his eyes fiercely, willing away the headache with every ounce of his being. It had been a long day. He had a full day of classes completed with a meeting with Professor Appleby on his progress with his project during lunch, followed by a tutor session with third year Defence Against the Dark Arts students who cared very little in the way of work before dinner which unfortunately ran over meaning he had to grab something from the kitchens. When Scorpius returned to the common room, he was hoping to collapse in bed and sleep. It didn’t help that he hadn’t seen Albus all day as he was busy with his own classes and projects and tutor groups. Albus wouldn’t be back at the dorm till late, his tutor group ran after dinner and he was going to get a quick study recap in the library for their upcoming potions mock exam. Scorpius barely had time to think about it.

He was all about ready to collapse.

But, this was Hogwarts, and he was Scorpius Malfoy, and he just could not say no to a student in need of help. So, when Marcy called him over the second he stepped foot in the common room, he found his feet moving uncontrollably in her direction. He forced on a smile as he collapsed next to her at the desk she’d claimed in the corner of the common room. Furthest from the fire, Scorpius noted, as a chill ran through his spine. He longed for the warmth of Albus’ arms, wrapped around him tightly as he pulls him in close and whispers that he loves him in his ear, all while they sway back a forth ever so gently, taking in each other scent and letting the warmth spread through their bones.

“Will you help me pick a project?” She asked, her voice slightly too high-pitched which sent a piercing shooting pain through his skull. He tried to cover up the wince, but the slight frown etched on Marcy’s face suggested he’d been unsuccessful.

“We’re approaching the end of the end of the fourth week of seventh year, you haven’t picked a topic yet?” He cautioned, concern lacing his tone. By this week, topics should have been long picked and research should have started. Scorpius was onto his own breakthrough and would soon be there with a little bit of extra help.  

“I know, I just need to brain storm! You said you’d help me, Scorp!”

“And I’m going to. Erm,” he pondered, rubbing his eyes with one hand. He really wasn’t in the mood for this. “You like Herbology right?” Marcy nodded enthusiastically. Scorpius had helped her prolifically since they’d first met in fifth year. They had initially met when Professor Longbottom asked him to tutor her, knowing her love for Herbology but struggle for academics. Marcy was always so quiet when he’d first met her, always reluctant to ask questions and never willing to start the conversation. He was quite proud of how much she’d grown as a person, but the faith she had in her abilities severely lacked and Scorpius wished she’d believe him whenever he told her she was perfectly capable of doing this on her own.

He could never imagine not having any self-confidence in terms of his intelligence. It was true that he was insanely smart, something he got from his father, and yes, he was top of every class he took, but sometimes he forgot that there are people that struggle more than he does. Scorpius often found himself taking his intelligence for granted. Not that he didn’t work for it, he worked harder than most the students in Hogwarts, but there were still students who worked just as hard as he did, and it never paid off as well.

However, what Scorpius had in intelligence, he lacked in other departments. His social skills were appalling, and if he hadn’t had met Albus on the train, he was fairly certain he’d be graduating Hogwarts without a single friend. He was awkward and clumsy, he often struggled to pick up on social cues and had been called annoying on multiple occasions because he’d never learnt how to shut up. Scorpius had started biting his tongue a lot more than he used to, knowing he’d probably just annoy anyone within a one-mile radius with his rant on whatever subject he was finding most interesting at that given moment. Albus had always loved his rambles, though. Had always looked at him like what he was saying was the most interesting thing in the world. And then he would kiss him and tell him how he loved how smart he was and that he could listen to him speak all day. Albus validated him when the rest of the world wanted to silence him. Albus loved him when the rest of the world wanted to hate him by association. Albus was his rock, his life, his love. Albus was his everything. Scorpius would never survive without him.

Scorpius was certain he’d never want to.

“Okay, so there’s a debate among Herbologists of the duration effects of gillyweed in saltwater versus fresh water, Professor Longbottom would definitely support you with this. Maybe you could test it out with a few participants, I’d happily help you out, as I’m sure the others will too.” Marcy noted down everything Scorpius had said, nodding along swiftly with his words.

“That’s one option, I guess,” she shrugged, looking up to Scorpius with a hint of sorrow in her eyes. She was doubting herself again. Scorpius felt his headache grow worse with every passing moment, but he pushed down the pain as much as he could.

“You don’t like it?”

“It’s not that I don’t like it. It’s a good idea, but Scorpius, there are professional Herbologists who haven’t figured that out yet. How the fuck am I meant to do that?” He winced slightly as her tone became harsher with each passing word. She was never like this, had never usually been so confronting and harsh, especially with him. But, it seems recently she has about as much patience with him as Albus did with Rose. Maybe he had done something to upset her? He couldn’t recall anything, though his memory was becoming foggier the worse his headaches got. He barely remembered his and Albus’ game of Wizards Chess last night.

“It’s alright for you,” she pressed. “You’re a genius and maybe you or even Albus or Leo could pull something like this off, but I can’t!” Scorpius concluded that her frustration wasn’t directed at him entirely, but rather she was projecting the anger towards herself onto him. Scorpius could live with that. “I mean, blood curses, I could never come up with a cure for something that people have been suffering with for years, but you bloody well can, that’s amazing.”

“It’s not exactly a cure,” he corrected, “just a hypothetical solution. It probably won’t work. But, Marcy, I never picked my topic because it could change the world, I picked it because it means something to me. Because I care about it. So, that’s all you have to do, pick something you’re passionate about.”

“Like what?”

“Well, what do you care about?” He asked, resting his head on his hand, elbow right-angled on the desk. He looked at her for the first time since he’d sat down and saw the heavy bags around her eyes that could only have been caused by stress. It was only a few weeks into N.E.W.Ts, yet the whole of the seventh year seemed to be getting hit hard. Where her brown eyes were usually bright, they now seemed dull and bored. Her blonde hair was perched messily in a bun atop her head, single strands falling out and into her face. Scorpius leaned over and moved a strand out her eyes subconsciously. She looked at him in surprise and he smiled lazily back at her, his hand returning to his lap.

“A lot of things,” was all she said, her lips pursed in concentration. Scorpius fought the urge to groan and throw his head back and instead searched deep inside him for an ounce of patience.

“Like what?” She sighed again, rubbing her eyes in the same way Scorpius had been, though she was only fighting off a bout of tiredness, not a headache that felt like your head was going to explode.

“You,” she spoke so quietly that Scorpius barely heard her.

“I care about you too, Marce, but unfortunately you can’t do a project on that,” he quipped, and if Marcy picked up on the nervousness in his tone she didn’t show it. Marcy turned to him, locking her brown, tired eyes with his grey ones and said nothing. She stared at him for what seemed like hours, barely moving at all. Scorpius began to feel uncomfortable under her gaze, and he coughed a little to try and grab her attention. But her attention was already firmly on him. Scorpius looked around, hoping to catch Leo or Emily, though Emily was out doing Head Girl rounds and Leo was probably in the dorm, so he was alone, knowing Albus wasn’t due back for hours.

When he turned back to Marcy she was significantly closer to him than before and he tried to mask the shocked gasp he let out.

“Marcy?” He questioned, leaning away from her slightly. She never wavered, instead she moved closer. “Marcy, seriously what are you do-”

He was interrupted by her lips on his.

It took Scorpius less than a second to pull away from her, so forcibly he nearly fell off his chair. The quick movement sent a shooting pain through his skull, but he ignored it the best he could, shooting Marcy an incredulous look.

“What the bloody hell was that?” He half-shouted, not wanting to grab the attention of the other Slytherin’s in the common room.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she pleaded, backing away from Scorpius and folding herself up in her chair. “I don’t know what happened, I’m sorry, Scorpius please forgive me. I never meant to-”

“Marcy, it’s okay!” He insisted. Was his headache getting worse? Scorpius had thought it had reached its peak for the day, but the pain seemed to be growing. He could only hope that it wouldn’t cause one of the episodes he’d been having that sent him into a frenzy. He had gone three days since the last one and had hoped that they would calm down.

“Are you going to tell Albus?” Her voice sounded desperate, but Scorpius could barely focus on that right now. He nodded in response, but that was all he could manage, the pain rendering him speechless. He placed his head in both hands, pressing down on his eyes in an attempt to relieve the pain. The pressure caused brightly coloured swirls to invade his pitch-black vision, like the headache was trying to hypnotise him. The overwhelming need to _push_ invaded his thoughts. But push what? He didn’t know, but he obliged, forcing out a sort of negative energy that surrounded him.

A piercing scream shot through his head, taking over all his senses. He couldn’t be sure if he screamed in response because all he could hear was the shrill of the shriek inside his brain. He pushed at that too, willing it away with all his might. When it stopped, he was left with the thumping of his own heartbeat pounding alongside his headache. Scorpius never had the energy to open his eyes, and his head fell to the desk with a thump, encasing his mind in darkness.

 

* * *

 

 

It was late by the time Albus returned to his dorm that night, his eyes heavy from a full day’s work. His second-year tutees had given him a run for his money, none of them being able to settle down long enough to let Albus get a decent word in. He eventually sent them on their way early, figuring he could get longer in the library to study for his potions exam.

Wrapping his arms around his boyfriend and curling up next to him in bed seemed like the closest thing to heaven right now and Albus longed for him. However, when he reached his dorm, Scorpius was nowhere to be seen. Albus had expected him to already be in bed waiting for him, probably asleep. But he wasn’t.

“Leo?” He questioned, noticing Leo’s curtains to be slightly open, meaning he wasn’t asleep just yet. The other two boys in their dorm weren’t in their beds yet, meaning they were in the common room. Albus hadn’t stopped to check, desperate to curl up next to Scorpius. Albus’ heart dropped for a moment, his mind conjuring up the worst possible thoughts.

“Hmm?” He answered, poking his head slightly out the curtains.

“Have you seen Scor?” What if he was in the hospital wing because of his headaches? Or because a bully had hexed him? What if he’d passed out somewhere and was lying unconscious in the castle, cold and alone? Or what if-

“He was in the common room with Marcy when I got in,” he spoke, pulling Albus from his thoughts. His heart slowed down in pace slightly, hoping Scorpius was still down there. He hadn’t checked, he should have checked. Though Scorpius hardly ever spends time down there without all of their friends present, so it was quite strange.

“Oh, okay, thanks,” Albus muttered, making his way over to the door he’d come in seconds before.

“You’re worried about him, aren’t you?” Leo asked, causing Albus to stop in his tracks and turn to face him. Leo was now perched on the edge of his bed, brown eyes wide as he looked at Albus. His usually neat brown hair was tangled and messy, falling in front of his eyes. Albus guessed he was nearly asleep and probably didn’t appreciate the interruption, not that he’d ever say anything.

“I worry about him all the time,” he said, playing off his concern as normal. It wasn’t normal, Albus was definitely more worried about Scorpius and his eccentric behaviour than he should be. There was no need for Leo to worry too, even though he had probably picked up on Scorpius’ behaviour as well. Leo was very perceptive, often realising what was wrong with others before they even knew it themselves. It was something both Albus and Scorpius admired about him.

“Me too,” he said, honestly. Albus had always loved that Scorpius had someone like Leo looking out for him. It put his mind at ease knowing there was someone else whenever Albus couldn’t be around. “He’ll be okay, Al. He’s got us looking out for him, right?”

“Right, of course.” Albus smiled at him instinctively to which he returned. Albus nodded and headed out the dorm, descending the stairs to the common room. He frantically searched the large room before his eyes settled on a tuft of blond hair sticking out from a bundle of black robes. For a moment, his heart began to panic before the rational side of him reminded him that Scorpius was probably just sleeping. Crossing the short distance as quick as he could, Albus placed a hand on Scorpius’ back.

“Scor?” He mumbled slightly at Albus’ voice. “Scor, wake up. You’ll hurt your back leaned over the desk like that.” Any panic surrounding the other boy dissipated when Scorpius turned his head and fluttered his eyes open. Upon settling on Albus, a grin spread across his face, lighting up his features. He raised his head from the desk, flinching from the clear discomfort he was in. His eyes never left Albus.

“You’re so pretty,” he mumbled sleepily. He stretched his arms out to Albus, inviting him to sit on his lap. “Sleep with me?” He asked, though showed no attempt at moving up to the dorm to sleep in his own bed and Albus suspected he meant right where he was sitting.

“Hmm, that’s the politest way anyone’s ever asked me to sleep with them before,” Albus joked, graciously accepting Scorpius’ requested and falling into his lap. Scorpius lazily wrapped his arms around Albus’ waist and nuzzled his head under his arm. Albus wrapped his arms around Scorpius, encasing the young boy in a hug, allowing him to bury his head. The darkness would probably do wonders for his headache.

“Really?” He mumbled, voice muffled through Albus’ jumper. “And how many people have asked you before? I’d like to know what I’m competing with,” he finally emerged from his hiding spot, looking up to Albus. Albus noted the black circles around his eyes, looking too much like bruises and fought back the urge to drag him to bed and force him to sleep.

“A fair few, but you win every time,” Albus _booped_ him on the nose, causing him to scrunch up his face in a way Albus found incredibly adorable. Scorpius laughed, but his smile quickly dropped as he looked at his surroundings.

“Where’s Marcy?” He asked, eyeing the desk now clear of all things. It looked like no one had inhabited it for a while, apart from Scorpius who was fast asleep. Albus shrugged, figuring she’d gone to bed. “She kissed me.” _She WHAT?_ Albus thought, a pit of jealousy growing in his stomach. Scorpius looked so disoriented and confused that Albus suspected he was just as baffled. “I can’t believe she kissed me. I didn’t kiss her back, don’t worry,” Albus knew Scorpius was talking to him, but his voice was so quiet that it sounded miles away. The jealousy turned to concern, knowing that Scorpius would never have kissed her back anyway.

“You okay?” He asked Scorpius, whose eyes seemed dimly distant. He nodded, forcing his gaze back to Albus and planting a small smile on his lips.

“Can we go to bed?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” Albus chuckled, getting off Scorpius’ lap and offering a hand out to him. He accepted and pulled himself up, grabbing his bag that he’d abandoned underneath the table. Albus half dragged him up the stairs to the common room, feeling exhausted himself but clearly not as exhausted as Scorpius. When he entered, Scorpius at his tow, Albus saw the visible relief spread across Leo’s features, and he nodded towards them both, mumbling a good night.

Scorpius crossed the room slowly, falling ungracefully face-down on Albus’ bed, letting his bag fall at the foot. Albus giggled, following the other boy.

“You just going to sleep like that?” He joked. Scorpius nodded against the pillow. Albus shook his head, proceeding to take of Scorpius’ shoes and lay them neatly at the foot of the bed. He reached beneath him to undo his robes, taking them off him and folding them up on Scorpius’ bed, knowing it won’t be used.

“You’re supposed to ask permission before you start undressing me,” Scorpius quipped, his voice laced with sarcasm as he turned onto his back, sending a mischievous grin in Albus’ direction. Albus reached for the bottom of Scorpius’ jumper, gripping it and raising it over his head, Scorpius holding his arms in the air to help him.

“Are you objecting?” Albus teased, loosing Scorpius’ tie and unbuttoning his shirt. Scorpius smirked but shook his head. They joked about this a lot, shared innuendos and teased each other, though they hadn’t slept together in any sense of the word apart from completely innocently. The last time a heated make-out session looked like it was heading in that direction, Scorpius stopped him abruptly, telling him that he wasn’t ready. Albus, of course, accepted that and hadn’t initiated anything since, not wanting to push Scorpius into something he wasn’t ready for, or maybe didn’t want.

Once Albus had removed his shirt, Scorpius had excused himself to the bathroom, returning moments later in one of Albus’ t-shirts and pyjama bottoms. Albus used his absence as a chance to change too and got into bed, waiting for his return. Scorpius settled in next to him, drawing the curtains around Albus’ bed.

“I missed you,” he mumbled, sleepily. His eyes kept falling closed, ready to fail him at any moment. Albus stroked his cheek, feeling the soft texture of his skin under his thumb. Heat raised in Scorpius’ cheeks, flushing him in a hint of red, something Albus could barely see in the dark.

“I missed you, too.” It was silly, really, to miss someone who you see every day. But every second they weren’t together was a second they missed each other. James had joked one day over the summer that they had become too co-dependent on each other, and whilst at the time he denied the claim, Albus couldn’t help but wonder if that’s what this was. He couldn’t live without Scorpius, that much he knew, but did that mean he had become co-dependent? Scorpius was every inch of happiness he had, but Albus never saw that as a bad thing.

“Hey, do you think your dad could do a favour for me?” Scorpius asked, forcing down a yawn.

“What kind?”

“I need to get into the Ministry of Magical Archives, do you think he could help?”

“What could you possibly need from there?” Albus questioned.

“It’s for my research project. I have a theory, but I need to fact check it alongside my mother’s family records. I’m hoping I’ve done the maths right in my head, but I need that to confirm it. I also need to know who the person who cursed my ancestor was,” Albus nodded slowly. He’d known Scorpius was looking into his family as part of the case study to support his research, but he didn’t know just how deep he was going. Would the Greengrass family record even have that kind of information?

“I could owl him to ask if you want? I mean, I’m sure Aunt Hermione would be happy to help too, anything for academic research, right? If dad can’t help, she will,” he assured and Scorpius sleepily nodded, yawning again and moving to place his head against Albus’ chest. He tangled their legs and drooped an arm around him.

“Thank you, boo,” he mumbled and from the faint sound of his breaths, Albus knew that he was halfway into a peaceful sleep. He prayed he slept through the night. Adjusting himself carefully into a comfortable position, Albus followed shortly into a deep sleep himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *GASP* Marcy kissed Scorpius??????? Whaaatttt, I'm shook...  
> Anyway, this is my first fix with proper original characters so let me know what you think of Marcy, Leo and Emily!  
> Also cuddly Scorpius and Albus give me life!
> 
> Kudos and comments welcome!


	4. A Little Close to Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all are enjoying it! Let me know!

_Dad,_

_This may seem like a big request, but Scorpius asked me to ask you and honestly, I can never say no to him. I guess that’s love, huh? Anyway, quick update on me first: seventh year is great, despite the lack of sleep and overbearing work we get given. We had a potions mock exam today and honestly think I smashed it, so that’s a good thing! Yeah, I’m good._

_Now, onto Scorpius. This isn’t about his headaches or anything, which by the way are getting worse, but he’s pretending they aren’t and that he’s fine. Guess I rubbed off on him in that way. No, this is actually about his final year project. He’s studying blood curses and using his mum as a case study and he was wondering if you could help him get into the Ministry of Magical Archives, so he could look something up about a distance relative of his? No worries if not, I’ll just ask Aunt Hermione instead, she’d do anything for someone who excels in academics as much as Scorpius._

_Anyway, let me know._

_Love you,_

_Albus._

* * *

 

_Albus,_

_I am so proud of you for how your seventh year is going and how enthusiastic about it you are! I hope your potions mock went well, I guess you get that talent from me and your grandmother, she was always a talented Potioneer. She’d be proud of you, too._

_I’ve spoken to Hermione and she has arranged with Professor McGonagall for you and Scorpius to visit the Ministry, so he can get whatever he needs from the archives, though he should be warned that Hermione will probably try to talk his ear off about his project. Though if I know Scorpius then I know he would love to talk to her about it._

_The date is set for two Saturdays from now, I look forward to seeing you both._

_Love you always,_

_Dad._

* * *

 

Albus could always tell when Scorpius has had a terrible night’s sleep. His shoulders slump ever so slightly more than they usually do, destroying his usual pristine stature. He can never usually be bothered to do anything besides brush his hair, so it falls loosely into his face whenever he leans forward or even slightly moves his head instead of staying in his usual quiff-like style. Though mostly it’s his eyes that give him away. The usual bright spark of grey is dulled ever so slightly. So slightly that most people would miss it. Albus never missed it.

He had known Scorpius had been having trouble sleeping the past few days. He’d known because when Scorpius couldn’t sleep, Albus couldn’t either. Scorpius figured this and felt infinitely guilty for keeping him up, even going as far to suggest he stay in his own bed. Albus denied profusely, claiming that it was entirely fine. Scorpius slept better whenever he was with Albus, so if he was having trouble with him, he wouldn’t even sleep in little snippets without him. Besides, Albus couldn’t imagine not sharing a bed with him after all this time.

Where it’s usually only Albus who notices Scorpius’ tiredness, that morning at breakfast, everyone else noticed too. Emily brought it up first, claiming that the black around his eyes was so dark it looked like he’d been punched a few times, before gasping and asking if they really were bruises. Scorpius smiled slightly and shook his head. Leo had then decided to try and lighten the mood by claiming how tired they  _both_ looked, sending a wink in their direction causing Scorpius to blush the brightest colour of rose and Albus to roll his eyes. Marcy had stayed quiet, looking between the both with a worried frown before returning to her breakfast.

Ever since the night where Marcy kissed Scorpius, she had reverted back to the girl Albus knew in the very beginning of their friendship. Gone was the quick-witted confident Marcy and returned was the shy, introverted Marcy. Scorpius felt extremely guilty, not that it was his fault. She had invaded his privacy, kissed him without his consent with full knowledge of his relationship status and then bolted leaving Scorpius to basically pass out due to a headache. No, it wasn’t Scorpius’ fault at all, it was entirely hers. Albus felt a small sense of resentment towards her. She never apologised, even though she definitely should have. Yet, it was Scorpius who felt guilty for ‘leading her on’. Bullshit. Marcy had been Scorpius’ first friend outside Albus that he’d managed to make on his own. He valued their friendship deeply, and now it was ruined, and he was blaming himself for a situation entirely out of his control. Why did he have to be so nice?

However, Scorpius had perked up since breakfast and almost skipped down the hall to Professor McGonagall’s office. Today was the day that Albus’ dad and his Aunt Hermione had arranged for them to go to the Ministry for Scorpius’ project. They had popped back to the dorm quickly, where Scorpius had downed a wide-eye potion and animatedly packed a bag full of all his research stationary and notes and well as the book he’d checked out from the Restricted Section. Albus knew he had read it at least four times and needed a new book, but he also knew that Scorpius was so reluctant to let it go, knowing his mum was the last known reader.

“Sugar cube,” Scorpius muttered to the Gargoyle guarding the door, watching as it moved aside the reveal the spiral staircase. Albus had been to Professor McGonagall’s’ office a few times, often just to chat with her about studies and how things were going. Professor McGonagall had been an ever-present adult in his and his siblings life growing up, often taking them under her wing, especially since they started Hogwarts. She loved them like they were her own children and Albus was grateful to have not only her but Professor Longbottom as well as support within the Hogwarts grounds.

Scorpius held firmly onto Albus’ hand as they ascended the spiral staircase, suddenly nervous of the day ahead. Professor McGonagall waited for them, knowing their arrival would be soon, and quickly started a conversation about their studies as soon as they stepped foot into her office. Albus chatted easily with her, though Scorpius’ eyes darted around the room nervously and only answered in short bursts. Noticing his nervousness and eagerness, McGonagall handed them some floo powder, reminding them to be back for dinner and pointed them into the direction of the floo network.

Albus guided Scorpius over and they stepped into the fireplace. Albus declared their destination, dropping the floo powder and allowing green flames to engulf them, transporting them away from Hogwarts and into the office of Harry Potter at the Ministry.

His father greeted them amicably, pulling Albus into a tight hug and patting Scorpius on the back, the first pat causing him to wince ever so slightly that only Albus noticed. Physical affection from grown-ups, specifically male grown-ups, was something Scorpius was never used to. His father had become more affectionate over the last few months, but it was still rare and new to Scorpius.

“How are you both?” Harry asked, settling himself back down in his chair behind his desk, gesturing for Albus and Scorpius to sit down too. He poured a cup of tea for them both, which Scorpius accepted graciously, desperate for something to do with his hands instead of twiddle nervously with his thumbs. “You seem nervous, Scorpius, is everything okay?” It took Scorpius a moment before realising that Harry was talking to him.

“Oh, erm, yeah, I’m fine. Just nervous for whatever I find today I guess, could prove or disprove my theory, or my speculation or whatever you want to call it,” he rambled, gesturing wildly with his one hand and keeping the other firmly on his mug.

“Are we ever going to find this theory out?” Harry joked, or at least Scorpius thought it was a joke. He glanced briefly at Albus who confirmed his thoughts with a small nod.

“Yes, yes, of course. Just not till after as I’ve told Albus on multiple occasions. I don’t want anyone getting any hopes up. I’ll tell Minister Granger, too, it’s only fair as she arranged all this for me.”

“Please, Scorpius, call me Hermione. You’re dating my nephew, it seems we should be on first-name basis at this point,” Hermione Granger-Weasley had let herself into Harry’s office it seemed and was now walking over to the two boys. Albus stood and let himself be embraced into a deep hug and upon pulling away, Hermione brushed Scorpius’ hair fondly, causing a smile to form on his face that he couldn’t contain.

“Shall we head down to the archives?” Harry asked, halfway to standing up. Scorpius followed.

“Of course, I’m desperate to hear about Scorpius’ project.” Scorpius blushed slightly, baffled that the Minster for Magic herself would care about his silly little school project. Though ever since the introduction of them a couple of years ago, many breakthroughs have been made to various parts of the magical community; new plants discovered, new potion cures, new theories on astronomy and many, many more. It only made sense that Hermione was so invested in everyone’s project, after all she was the one who introduced them.

The small group of four made their way out the office and towards the Magical Archives room. Albus and his dad walked just in front of Hermione and Scorpius, chatting away about Albus’ project and his seventh year. Scorpius walked in line with Hermione.

“So, Harry told me your project is on blood malediction?” She asked, jumping straight in to pick his brains.

“Yeah, well it’s essentially like trying to find a cure, but it’s all purely hypothetical. I’d never be able to test it because I wouldn’t get ethical approval being so young, but it’s just my way of putting my research out there and my theories. I’m hoping to have about three different theories on how to cure or help treat blood malediction, I have one already which I’m working on gathering the data for, hence the need to access my mothers’ family history. I’m using her as a case study.”

“It’s a little close to home, isn’t it?” Her voice was laced with concern. Scorpius was, frankly, quite tired of hearing those words. Professor Appleby had said those exact words to him, as did Emily when he told her his full project, as did his father though that was written down in a letter.

“Maybe,” Scorpius shrugged. “But Professor Appleby already told me that if it gets too much for me then he’s pulling the plug. He makes me have regular talks with him, so he knows how well I’m coping.”

“Well, that’s a good thing. I always knew he’d be a good teacher and head of house. And you volunteer with Madame Pomfrey, correct?” Scorpius was glad for the change in conversation, unsure of the road they would have walked if it had continued.

“Yeah, she’s helping me learn healing spells and potions which hopefully means that I’ll be a favoured applicant when St Mungos student applications open after Christmas.” Scorpius had never had to think twice about becoming a healer. Growing up with his mother in permanent need of help, in and out of hospitals with no cure or even treatment that could ease her pain, the decision seemed easy. He had promised her one day, when he was eight-years-old, that he would cure her when he was older. Unfortunately, he never got the opportunity. And so, his mind was made up. He’d become a healer and he’d look after people who couldn’t look after themselves and he’d save lives, so no one had to go through what he had too. Losing his mother was the hardest thing he’d ever been through, and he vowed to do everything in his power to make sure no one else had to feel that pain.

Scorpius wasn’t naïve. He knew he’d never be able to save everyone. That would never stop him from trying.

“I’m sure they’d accept you on grades alone, but it’s nice to have some experience on your back,” she assured, and Scorpius nodded.

The rest of the walk was spent in mindless chatter, Scorpius mostly listening to Hermione. Everything she said was so interesting that Scorpius could listen to her speak for days and never get bored. She chatted amicably about her days at Hogwarts, what she would have done if she got the opportunity to do a research project herself. She spoke lovingly of her husband and children, to which Scorpius could only smile fondly at. Hermione Granger-Weasley was a remarkable woman, Scorpius had always admired her for that.

She had helped save the world at seventeen and continued to change that world as she grew older, freeing house elves, changing the views on muggle-borns and going against any and all stereotypes. She was an inspiration to anyone who cared enough about the world. She was certainly someone Scorpius looked up to growing up.

When they’d finally reached the archives room, Hermione had let him in and gave him brief instructions on how to find the Greengrass profiles. Harry and Hermione stayed back, allowing Albus and Scorpius to explore on their own.

The room was larger than expected. It was filled with thousands and thousands of shelves from floor to ceiling, enchanted to constantly move and circle the surrounding area. Scorpius stared in awe at the knowledge filling the room. He could _feel_ it. He could feel the heavy weight of the words in each family’s file, some that would hold only a few profiles and some that would date back centuries. Part of him wanted to stay there all day and bask in the knowledge he could gain. It wouldn’t be like reading a book, it would be learning about real people with real experiences. His friends were somewhere in this room, tucked away in a box with their family. Albus was somewhere in here. It filled Scorpius’ heart with joy. However, he was there for his own family records, no one else’s.

“Greengrass,” he spoke into the void, eyeing the boxes that flew past him carefully until the one he’d summoned came and rested in front of him. Scorpius sat down with the box, Albus followed him, eyeing him carefully. Where he sat, Scorpius drew his notebook and quill from his back and opened it to a fresh page. Then he touched the lid of the box which clicked open under his fingertips, sensing his magic and allowing him into his family file.

At the top of the box was a black slate which, when enchanted, would provide Scorpius with the Greengrass family tree. He carefully removed the slate from the box and placed it to the side of him. Underneath were detailed files of the Greengrass family. The top file was Scorpius’, naturally, as he was the most recent Greengrass born into the family. His mothers’ sister Daphne had never had any children, which only made Scorpius’ childhood even lonelier. Underneath his file was his mothers, and Scorpius had to take a deep breath and will the tears away before lifting it from the box. He placed it next to the black slate, a picture of his mother staring back up to him.

Scorpius pushed the rest of the box to the side momentarily, pulling out his wand and muttering the incantations to bring his family tree to life.

Albus watched Scorpius work, admiring the purse of his lips and the concentration knitted into his brows. He frequently narrowed his eyes in confusion before coming to some conclusion in his head and writing down his thoughts. Albus never interrupted, he’d watched Scorpius study so much that he knew it best to keep quiet. Any interruptions would cause him to lose his train of thought and Albus would hate to do that to him. So, he watched in quiet content.

Scorpius Malfoy was a wonder, that much Albus knew. His brain worked in intricate ways, often processing thoughts so quickly that he could barely catch them. He was a genius, not that he’d ever admit that. Albus had told him so one night, to which he replied, “I’m okay, I guess,” with self-deprecation thick in his tone. It made Albus’ heart pang. But, he knew that Scorpius knew of his intelligence. He knew that Scorpius relied on his own brain too much and how much he appreciated his intelligence. Albus appreciated it too as he relied on Scorpius’ brain for so many things. He’d passed his O.W.Ls with flying colours thanks to him and would no doubt pass his N.E.W.Ts too.

Albus wasn’t sure how much time had passed as he watched Scorpius work away. His father had entered to give them some sandwiches which Albus had graciously accepted but Scorpius never touched. He didn’t often eat when he was well on the way to discovery, his brain was too preoccupied to think about food. Albus let him off just this once, knowing he’d had a decent breakfast and that he would force him to have a large dinner.

“Okay,” he finally muttered at some point mid-afternoon. He put his quill down and flicked aimlessly through his notes before putting his books back into his bag and the files back into the box alongside the family tree, now back to its former state. The box clicked in place when Scorpius returned the lid and with a flick of his wand it returned back to its rightful place on the shelf. “Ready?” He asked Albus, as though it was him who was waiting for Albus to finish up. Albus, however, just nodded and stood up, stretching his legs to work out the stiffness from sitting in one place for hours. Scorpius copied his movements and pulled his bag onto his shoulder, grabbing Albus’ hand and walking out the archives room.

He muttered a thank you to the woman on the desk who briefly smiled at him the way all adults did when they saw the two of them together. A Malfoy and Potter, something no one ever thought would happen. Most adults could hardly believe their eyes. Together, the two boys had destroyed all stereotypes in more than one way. They proved they weren’t their fathers, they proved that even though their families had a rocky history, they could overcome that and even bring their parents together in friendship. They proved that pure-blood values weren’t the most important thing in the world, and that two people from different purities could love each other just as much.

That never usually stopped the stares though.

It seemed that just on the short walk back to his fathers’ office, the whole world and his dog seemed to stop and stare at them. They were used to being stared at, except usually it was by kids their own age with simple curious glances, not from adults with judging glares turned up noses. The slight tightening of Scorpius’ hand on his told Albus he felt just as uncomfortable too.

His father’s office couldn’t have come quick enough and Albus was slightly impressed he’d remembered the way back, then remembered it was probably Scorpius who actually remembered and Albus blindly followed. That was how their relationship usually worked. They knocked before hearing a grumble of approval from Harry and entered his office. Inside, Hermione was already there. It was like they were awaiting their return.

She smiled brightly at them both, inviting them to sit down and poured them both tea, despite it being Harry’s office. The four of them sat around a coffee table Harry had invested in once he’d started bringing his kids to work when they were younger. He’d often leave them on the sofas with their toys whilst he dealt with the grown-up work. When he was young, Albus had loved coming to work with his father but the novelty had worn as he grew.

“Come on, Scorpius, we’re dying to hear your proposal,” Hermione encouraged, leaning forward on the sofa to show interest. His father looked just as interested, but he stayed back, tea balance on his legs and glasses slightly lopsided. Scorpius noticed this and unconsciously fixed his own as though they mirrored it.

“Well, I don’t know- it’s hard to- wait, let me start again,” he stumbled, pulling out his notebook and settling his tea down on the coffee table. Albus knew the tea would now go cold, knowing Scorpius and his inability to think about anything else when the clogs started turning in his brain.

“So, as you know the aim of my project is to create a hypothetical cure for blood maledictions. Well, I only have the first one which I just got from the archives. I wanted to go back to the ancestor that was cursed, who I found was Phineas Greengrass. Phineas was cursed with a spell that I’ve certainly never heard of before, but he claimed that the executor of the curse muttered the words  _Sanguinem Maledicta_ , which directly translates to ‘blood curse’. The executor of the curse, shockingly, was actually his sister, Justina Greengrass.

“So, this is my theory. There are basic treatments out there for blood malediction, ones that ease the symptoms a little but not enough to completely cure it. I believe that you can’t cure it without going back to the source.” Hermione looked on at Scorpius with a faint fascination and a lot of confusion. Harry Potter seemed to be lost by the conversation entirely.

“How do you mean?” Hermione asked, and Albus was glad for it. He wanted to know the answer too.

“I mean that going all the way back to when the curse was cast is the potential solution. Taking the base of the treatment for a malediction potion is a starting point. Then, you have to add blood of the family, not the blood that’s cursed but clean blood, essentially. But it’s important to be of the family because somehow their blood had fought off the curse that ran through their line. For example, the curse could have affected my mother or her sister, but it chose my mother and therefore Daphne’s blood would be perfect. Then, and this is the tricky part, the rest of the ingredients need to come from the wand of the executor.” If they weren’t confused before, they certainly were now.

“So, Justina’s wand was made of Aspen wood and Wampus cat hair as its core. These ingredients can be acquired and added the potion to create a sort of bond between the blood and the wand that caused the curse. Finally, a standard counter-curse spell would be needed to be cast on the potion. If the curse used to create the blood malediction had a specific counter-curse then that would be used. Finally, the infected would drink the potion, on the basis that its safe and would be cured.” Scorpius shrugged, eyes frantically looking between the two adults as if waiting for their approval.

“I’m not sure if that’s genius or completely insane,” Harry finally spoke, though there was a grin on his face.

“It’s just one idea,” Scorpius’ voice was quiet.

“And a bloody good one, where’d that come from?” Hermione’s approving tone made Scorpius smile, any previous doubt flooding from his mind.

“I looked back at all the other attempted and failed curse cures and found that all of them ignored the source of the curse as a solution and saw it just as a cause. I figured that’s where I’d start, you know, where no one else did. It’s not fool proof, but it is backed up by a lot of research and it’s not the only idea I have.”

“Well, I think it’s a good start. Scorpius, I would love to read your piece when it’s finished,” Hermione offered, taking a sip of a tea. Scorpius sat up straighter at the proclamation, nearly bouncing out his seat in excitement.

“Really? That’s amazing, of course!” The brilliant smile on his face was blinding and contagious. Albus smiled widely back at him as Scorpius caught his eye, his face staying enlightened with excitement. Merlin, he was beautiful.

Quickly, Scorpius’ excitement fell from his face, a sudden nervousness taking over that Albus had no idea where it come from. He reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing in comfort despite not knowing the comfort he needed.

“There’s one more thing,” Scorpius spoke, his voice quiet and eyes still, staring at his now cold cup of tea like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Albus looked to his dad and aunt, whose faces were also full of worry at Scorpius sudden change in behaviour. His dad looked at Albus knowingly, as though he finally understood what Albus had written in his letter about his fluctuant mood changes.

“Go on,” Hermione encouraged, and this time Harry sat forward and focused all his attention on Scorpius.

“I had an ulterior motive for coming here. I came across something in my research that the blood curse that runs through my family affects every 3rd generation. Phineas Greengrass was my great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather,” Scorpius spoke, doing the maths on his fingers, a distant look in his eyes.

“Fifteen greats?” Hermione asked, and Scorpius slowly nodded. She gasped, somehow knowing exactly what that meant before Albus and Harry did.

“I don’t know why, and I don’t know how. But that means that I was supposed to be the one cursed. I was the next generation,” now it was Harry and Albus’ turn to gasp. No one spoke though, they let Scorpius gather his thoughts. He took a deep breath. “Somehow, it affected my mother instead of me, came a generation early and I’ll never know why. But that leads me to my next theory.

“The headaches I suffer from are similar to a symptom my mother had at the very beginning, when the curse first started making her ill. I think they were a little different to mine, she used to explain them as a screaming noise in her head, cutting out all thoughts until she eventually passed out from the pain. Sometimes she would go completely blank, she wouldn’t remember what happened for days after getting one. Mine are similar but not quite dramatic and majority of the time it’s just a dull ache in the front of my head.

“I think that’s because it was supposed to me. I think the headaches are a symptom of a curse that I don’t have, but I’m supposed to have. Maybe a little bit resides in my blood, a piece so small that it can’t be picked up on in blood tests. It won’t kill me, I don’t think, and I’m not even sure it’ll get worse. And it’s just a theory, I don’t think it can ever be proven. But it could be an explanation, it’s more than what the Healers can provide me with anyway.”

Scorpius shrugged again once he’d finished talking and Albus squeezed his hand. He looked at him, thankful for the support.

Albus was speechless, as were the adults it seemed. No one spoke for a really long time, long enough for Scorpius to curl up into himself on the sofa, wrapping his arms around his legs and shrinking himself down as much as he could. It only struck Albus then that Scorpius hadn’t had a bad headache since they’d left Hogwarts that morning.

Desperate to comfort his boyfriend, Albus curled up next to him, wrapping his arms around him the best he could and planting a kiss to his temple. Albus felt the relief rush over Scorpius as he melted into him. When they first started dating, physical affection around his parents was something that was kept to a minimum, however as they grew closer and more sure of each other, it didn’t faze them as much. No one ever called them out on it, so simple things like holding hands and cuddling on the sofa became a norm to everyone. It’s at the point now that it was weird if they weren’t touching in one way or another.

“Wow, I’m sort of speechless. But, Scorpius, this might not be the case,” Hermione started.

“Yeah, there are plenty of reasons why it may have hit your mother first. There may be a birth that’s unrecorded because the baby died young,” Harry continued.

“Or that the research is wrong, curses are unpredictable, especially blood ones,” Hermione took over.

“Or that these headaches are just that: headaches. You’re young, Scorpius, with a lot of stress on your back, for all we know that’s the cause of them,” Harry finished. Scorpius nodded along with them, sheepish and stuck for words.

“We should get back to the castle,” Albus prodded, sitting up and bringing Scorpius with him.

“Right, of course. We don’t want Professor McGonagall on our backs,” Harry joked, forcing laughter. They all stood and said their goodbyes. Scorpius became quickly shocked when Hermione pulled him in for a hug and ruffled his hair fondly. After their goodbyes, Harry handed Albus some floo powder and for the second time that day he led Scorpius over to the fireplace and declared his destination.

Upon arrival back into Professor McGonagall’s’ office, she was nowhere to be seen. Without letting go of Scorpius’ hand, Albus stepped out the fireplace and led him out. They walked through down to the dungeons in a comfortable silence. Albus guessed Scorpius was trying to process his day which led to a lack of conversation on his behalf, not that Albus minded the quiet.

“Guess everyone’s already down at dinner,” Albus spoke, more to himself than anyone, figuring Scorpius weren’t listening. Their dorm was empty when they arrived, though they were only dropping Scorpius’ things off anyway and then going to dinner. Scorpius nodded, putting his bag down next to his bed and sitting down. “What’re you doing? Thought we were going to dinner, you must be hungry.” Albus said, sitting down next to him.

“Kiss me?” Scorpius asked, turning to face him. It was the first time since leaving the hall of records that Scorpius had actually looked at him properly. The rational part of Albus knew he shouldn’t worry, that whatever was on his mind would pass, but that didn’t stop the irrational side from sending his brain into overdrive.

“What?”

“Please? It’s been a hectic day and my thoughts are all over the place and you make it quiet. Please? I need it to be quiet,” he practically begged, though Albus wasn’t sure why he was even asking. But, as per request, he leaned in a gently pressed his lips to Scorpius’, lingering slightly before deepening the kiss the way he knew he wanted him to.

“Thank you,” Scorpius whispered when they broke apart and Albus smiled fondly at him.

“Are you okay?” He nodded, smiling back and it looked genuine, so Albus accepted the win. He was okay, he just needed a little help getting there, and if that meant Albus got to kiss him then it was just a bonus.

“Dinner? You were right, I’m starving,” he giggled, standing up and pulling Albus with him, basically sprinting out the door. This time, Scorpius chatted harmoniously about a new book he’d checked out from the library for Muggle Studies and about the project he was doing with Rose. Albus listened intently, thankful that his boyfriend seemed to have returned to normal. It wouldn’t last long, but he basked in it whilst he could.

Scorpius winced slightly as they entered the Great Hall, but he didn’t let the return of his headache falter his good mood. He brushed off Albus’ concerned look and made his way over to their friends at the Slytherin table.

“So,” Scorpius started as he sat down and started shuffling food onto a plate, Albus did the same, his mouth watering and stomach calling out for the food in front of him. Scorpius had grabbed the others’ attention straight away. “Who’s coming with me to Lily’s thing on Thursday?” He looked between his other three friends, hopeful that one would agree.

“Albus’ sister? The house unity thing?” Leo asked, and Scorpius nodded, wincing slightly at the sudden movement. “Not really my thing, bud,” he shrugged it off.

“Emily?”

“She does it after dinner and I have rounds, sorry Scorp.” Scorpius tried not to look too disheartened.

“Why can’t Al go with you?” Leo asked.

“Tutor group,” was all Albus replied, shovelling food into his mouth.

“I’ll go with you,” Marcy spoke quietly and Scorpius’ head shot up to look at her. “That’s if you don’t hate me.”

“I don’t hate you,” of course he didn’t. “It’ll be fun,” he said, grinning widely. Marcy beamed back at him, seemingly happy to have her friend back. Scorpius went to take another bite of his dinner when his fork fell from his grasp. He let out a disgruntled gasp as he hands went flying to his head. Everyone around him stopped, eyes settling over him in worry as he worked through the pain.

“Scor?” Albus spoke, and even he could hear the nervousness laced through his tone as he spoke with a shaky breath. Albus ran his fingers through Scorpius’ hair, massaging his scalp hoping it helped to ease the pain. After a short moment of gasping breaths from Scorpius, he fell into Albus’ chest, burying his head in him. Leo, who was sat on the other side of Scorpius, moved closer and rubbed his hand over his back as he caught he breath. Emily and Marcy looked on with worry, hopeless to the situation.

“I’m okay,” Scorpius finally whispered into Albus’ chest. The reassurance did little to actually reassure him. “Your hearts beating really fast,” Scorpius said and Albus wished he could see his face, but he only had a view of the top of his head. Albus kissed it.

“I get worried, that’s all,” Scorpius nodded against him.

“Scor, you haven’t had one all day and now suddenly we’re back at Hogwarts and you get one again?” Albus asked, though he weren’t sure where his point was going. Leo pulled a confused look at him but didn’t ask him to elaborate, maybe he found the whole thing suspicious too.

“What does that matter?” Scorpius asked, pulling out of Albus’ chest and meeting eyes with him.

“I don’t know. Did you get them like that over the summer?” Scorpius pondered this for a moment before shaking his head.

“I always had the headache, like the dull ache that’s always there. But the…” he searched for the right word, “episodes,” he settled on. “I only had two, one when me and father went to Hogsmeade and another when we went to Diagon Alley to get school supplies.”

“You don’t think that’s weird?” Scorpius shrugged.

“What are you suggesting, that Hogwarts emits some kind of energy that makes my headaches worse?” He laughed at the thought of it, as did Leo.

“Maybe it’s the same thing that stops muggle technology from working,” Leo joked, patting Scorpius on the back.

“Are you saying I’m some sort of robot, Boot?”

“You’re definitely something out of this world, Scorpy.”

“Huh, from Albus that would have been cute, but from you it’s just annoying.” Leo feigned shock, dropping his jaw and widening his eyes.

“Excuse you,” he spoke, dragging out the words. “I-”

“You’re excused,” Scorpius cut in before Leo could continue, a wide grin on his face. He scoffed jokingly, shaking his head at Scorpius.

“My, my, spend one day at the Ministry and suddenly everyone is beneath you.” Leo shook his head again. Scorpius knocked Leo’s shoulder with his, beaming widely to which Leo returned, rolling his eyes.

“Shut up,” was all Scorpius could respond, falling back into Albus’ arms and burying his head in his neck. Albus graciously accepted his embrace, pulling him in closer. He could feel Scorpius’ hot breath against his neck and concluded that he could stay like this forever if Scorpius asked him too. He would do anything Scorpius asked him to. He would move mountains and swim oceans if he meant he was happy.

He looked down at the boy tangled in his arms and couldn’t help the wash of worry that blanketed him. It crashed over him like a wave, dragging him down to the depths of the cold, dark ocean and stealing his breath. It was only when Scorpius looked up at him, his lively grey eyes brighter than the stars in the night sky, could Albus swim to the surface and break free of the waves. The worry wouldn’t drown him today, but Albus feared the day it would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm, I wonder if Albus is on to something? Stay tuned to find out.


	5. "Come and Get Me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this hasn't had no where near the same reaction as Wasn't Expecting That, but honestly that's okay. I had a lot of fun (and heartache) writing it so I'm going to finish posting it for the people who are reading and enjoying! I get that it's a darker turn and very different from Wasn't Expecting That and I could tell why people might not enjoy it as much but I liked this universe and these characters so yeah, I decided to carry it on!
> 
> However, Wasn't Expecting That just hit 100 kudos which honestly it amazing! Thank you so much to everyone who read it and loved it and supported it so far!
> 
> Here's Chapter 5!

Scorpius Malfoy had promised Albus Potter that he’d never break his heart. And he never planned to. Because, how could he? Albus was the sun, the stars, the moon and everything in between. He grounded Scorpius. He could stop the flow of thoughts that raced through his head faster than light. No one, not even his mother, could stop Scorpius once his brain passed the starting line. No one but Albus.

Scorpius was sure that he’d never be able to live without him.

He was also sure he’d never want to.

So, Scorpius would never be able to break his heart, at least not without breaking his own in the process.

He watched Albus work from the doorway of the potions classroom, the other boy wasn’t aware of his presence. Scorpius lived for moments like this, little moments in which Albus was utterly and irrevocably honest. He was lost in his own world, a world that involved him and potions and nothing else. He wasn’t aware he was being watched so he dropped his Albus Potter façade and was Just Albus. Just Albus was who Scorpius loved the most.

Don’t get him wrong, Scorpius loved every version of Albus and he would in every alternate universe. There was no doubt that it was Albus who was destined to own his heart. But there was a sort of calming edge to him when he was Just Albus that made Scorpius love him more than the other versions of him. Scorpius was pretty sure he was the only one allowed to see that version. Under covered sheets and dark hallways, out on the Quidditch pitch or up the Astronomy tower. Down by the lake or the boathouse. These were Albus’ favourite places and because of that he could be Just Albus.

Albus hunched over his cauldron, his dark hair flailing messily around as he ran his tanned fingers through it. It was getting long, and he reminded himself every day to cut it on their next Hogsmeade trip. But truth is Scorpius quite liked it when he was longer than usual. He liked when it got tangled up in his fingers, holding them captive. His hair was the jail cell and Scorpius’ fingers were the petty criminal, begging for escape but being denied the request.

What he didn’t like about Albus’ hair growing long, however, was how it always fell into his eyes. As wonderfully captivating as it was to watch him grow increasingly frustrated with it, his nose scrunching up in contempt as he let out a disgruntled huff of air, his long hair often blocked his eyes from Scorpius’ view. And Merlin’s beard, were Albus’ eyes the most beautiful he’d ever seen. Sharp emerald crystals layered with speckled brown tints that only shone when the sun did. They were iridescent, a bright green in the shining winter sun yet a dark jade under the glow of the lake from their dorm room. The colour often illuminated when Albus was tired, the dark shadows around his eyes highlighting the soft glow of his irises.

Scorpius could look into his eyes all day. He would allow himself to get lost in them. They were enchantments dragging him to sea and drowning him in the crash of waves and he would let himself sink. He would walk willingly through the pits of hell, barefooted on glass or through the curtained veil if it meant his eyes were on the other side.

If asked, Scorpius would do anything for them. For him. For Albus. Maybe that wasn’t healthy, maybe it was a dangerous hold to have over a person. But, he didn’t care. Because it was Albus, and he was the kindest person he knew.

Albus had a cold exterior, one people often shuddered away from. Most people didn’t care enough to pry through his stone-faced glare to see the world on the other side. And that world was great. It was warm and beautiful, captivating and enthralling. Scorpius could never understand how he saw Albus for who he is when other people couldn’t. Maybe it was because Albus let him see that world. But even when Albus tried to keep his hard exterior, there were little moments that shone through. The small smile when he read the jokes section of The Daily Prophet. The way he’d rock back and forth on his heels when nervous. But most importantly, when he had potion ingredients and a cauldron.

Flushed slightly from the heat of the cauldron, his tongue trapped between his teeth and poking out slightly between his lips, his eyes wide and wild, hair an unruly mop from the humidity, he looked beautiful. Truly and utterly beautiful. Out of this world beautiful. He was a fallen angel gracing the Earth with his presence and Scorpius had fallen deeply in love.

Scorpius cleared his throat with a small cough, alerting the other boy of his presence. He looked up from his cauldron at Scorpius - who stood rocking on his heels in the doorway - a vile of some ingredient held precariously between his raised hand. Upon settling his eyes on Scorpius, a grin spread across his face seemingly uncontrollable, causing Scorpius’ face to mirror it.

“Hey,” Albus spoke, his voice quiet in the large room. His shimmering eyes followed Scorpius as he pushed of the door frame with his shoulder and walked to greet him.

“Hey, you missed dinner. Well, you could probably still catch the end of it, but I thought I’d save you the trouble and bring you something,” he presented a plate full of food he was hiding behind his back. Albus’ face lit up with joy as he glanced from the plate to Scorpius and back to the plate. He placed his vial down and took the plate from him, picking up a piece of food before he’d settled the plate on the table.

“Thank you so much, you’re amazing,” he said through chews.

“You’re welcome. You’ve done it for me a few times and you’ve been so amazing, and I’ve been adequate, so I felt like I owed you.”

“What are we talking about again?” Scorpius had done his Thing, as Albus referred to it. His Thing was getting ahead of the conversation, saying something without properly explaining what he was talking about it. Apparently, Scorpius did it more often than not. Albus speculated it was because his brain moved so fast that in his head, the conversation had already skipped passed the important parts. Scorpius wished that wasn’t the case, but even he had to admit that he couldn’t keep up most the time. That’s why he needed Albus.

“Sorry, erm, I just- I think that- maybe I- sorry,” he stopped for a moment to gather his thoughts. Albus looked upon him, his brows furrowed. “I’ve been frantic recently, and a bit of a handful and I just wanted to say thank you for putting up with me.” Albus raised his eyebrows at him, his face one of surprise.

“Scor, I don’t ‘put up’ with you. I love you,” Scorpius was now avoiding eye contact with Albus. “What’s gotten into you?” He asked, lifting his chin up to meet Albus’ eyes.

“Nothing, I’m okay. I guess I just realised that with everything going on, I’ve been a little bit selfish. Dragging you out of classes and stuff, it’s not fair,” throughout his speech he gestured wildly with his arms, stuttering over words slightly like he was trying to gather his thoughts before speaking. Usually he wasn’t so careful. Usually words erupted from him like a volcano, unable to be tamed.

“Scorpius. Please look at me?” He was doing another one of his Things. This one was frantically searching the room for anything slightly interesting but finding nothing important enough, so his eyes kept wandering. Usually when they found Albus’ eyes, they settled, a heavy weight being lifted off his chest. Like usual, when Scorpius met his eyes with Albus’, that calming aura settled over him.

“It’s important you hear this,” Albus started, boring his iridescent eyes into Scorpius’. “You are not a burden to me, I don’t put up with you, I don’t feel obligated to look after you. I do all of it because that’s what you do when you care about someone. When you drag me out of classes, I don’t mind. You need me, it’s nice to be needed. You will never be and have never been too much.” His hands had somehow found their way to Scorpius’ cheeks, which were ablaze underneath the tanned fingers. Under Albus’ grasp he felt safe, assured, loved.

“I love you,” was all Scorpius could reply. He was overwhelmed with the desire he felt for the other boy. Albus smiled lovingly at him, pulling Scorpius’ face closer to his and planting a small kiss in his nose. Scorpius’ face broke out into a grin.

“Did something happen? Is that why this has come up?” Scorpius shook his head.

“You know me, I get carried away. How’s your project?” Scorpius asked, effectively changing the subject whilst peering over to look inside Albus’ cauldron. His glasses fell slightly askew with the movement and Albus reached up to fix them.

“Going good, yeah. Making slow progress but it’s better than no progress.”

“Yeah, and you’re brilliant so I have no doubt you’ll smash this,” Scorpius said, taking one of Albus’ hands in his own. “Anyway, I need to meet Marcy and your tutor group will be here soon,” Scorpius sighed, disappointed about having to leave Albus, knowing that by the time both of them return to the dungeons tonight they will both be too tired to do anything but snuggle up together and fall asleep. It wasn’t that Scorpius minded that, he loved cuddling up against Albus, but sometimes he wanted to talk to him, or just watch him and admire him.

“Shit, is that the time?” Scorpius nodded solemnly. Albus placed the lid over his cauldron, turning the gas mark off and gathered his notes into a neat pile. “You best be off then,” he sighed. Scorpius pulled him close, locking their lips in a gentle, endearing kiss. Albus, ever the dominant one, took control and deepened the kiss, pressing himself against Scorpius’ body and wrapping his arms around his waist to keep him close. Electricity flooded through Scorpius’ veins, the butterflies in his stomach fluttering wildly. He needed Albus, he never wanted to let go of him. Albus was water and Scorpius couldn’t live without it.

They were interrupted by the clearing of a throat. They pulled away slowly, not entirely fazed by being caught, as a fifth-year boy rolled his eyes and settled down on a stool by a desk.

“Hey, Albus,” he spoke, a mocking edge to his tone. He eyed Scorpius up and down, biting down on his lip and raising his eyebrows, amusement dancing through his eyes. Scorpius felt his cheeks flush a hot red and he looked away from the boy, suddenly embarrassed.

“I have to go,” Scorpius whispered, pecking Albus on the lips and exiting the room. He stumbled passed a few other fifth-years making their way to Albus’ tutor group before he reached the common room. He uttered the password and walked in, finding Marcy waiting for him on the other side of the door.

“Hey, ready?” She asked, her tone surprisingly excitable.

“Yeah, I am.” He was about to turn back out the common room when a small boy caught his eyes. He was curled up on single sofa wrapped in a blanket. His dark hair fell messily into his face and silent snuffles emitted from him. He was crying. Scorpius couldn’t force away his protective nature, and he held up a finger to Marcy telling her he’d be a minute and walked over to the small boy. Upon getting closer, he recognised him as Julian, the young first-year he had rescued from the fifth-year Gryffindor boy on the first day.

“Jules?” Scorpius spoke, crouching down in front of the chair. The young boy emerged from behind the blanket, his eyes dark in the dimly lit room. His cheeks were stained with tears, flushed a red hue that matched his tired eyes. He couldn’t even find it in him to meet Scorpius’ eyes. “Hey, are you okay?” He sniffled again, nodding his head.

“You can talk to me, you know? I know you don’t really know me, but I’ll happily listen. Has someone bullied you again? Or is it something at home?” Scorpius knew both troubles. He’d had home troubles, mostly surrounding daddy issues and his mum being ill, but he also knew school troubles. Whatever it was, he was hopeful to help Julian.

“People just aren’t being very nice,” his voice was barely above a whisper. It was so small and quiet, the sound of a tired, broken boy. And that boy was so young. Scorpius’ heart broke for him. He reminded him so much of himself, lost and alone in a place that didn’t feel like home. Even in Beauxbatons, people had trouble accepting Scorpius for who he was. His fathers’ name carried a heavy burden and that he had never been prepared to carry.

“I have an idea,” Scorpius said, finally grabbing Julian’s attention. “I’m going to this house unity thing tonight and I know you’re probably not feeling up for it, but I think you should come with me.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Marcy’s shoulders deflate. Scorpius didn’t care, he wasn’t going to let a boy wallow in his own sadness all night. Either he came with them, or Scorpius stayed.

“Why?” He asked, though his eyes shone a little brighter.

“Because it’s a place for people like us. A place where no one judges, it doesn’t matter where you’re from, what your blood status is, which house you belong, they believe in equality and love. You won’t be bullied there, maybe you’ll make some friends. It’s a safe space and I think you’d really enjoy it,” he spoke with honesty, because what Lily had created was truly remarkable. He was incredibly proud of her. He didn’t go to the club out of obligation, he went because he truly enjoyed going.

“Okay,” he spoke, his voice still quiet.

“Great, let’s go,” Scorpius stood and held his hand out to the younger boy. Smiling slightly, he took Scorpius’ hand and allowed him to pull him from the sofa.

Scorpius, Jules and Marcy made their way through the castle up to the sixth floor, Scorpius carrying most of the conversation. Lily had discovered the room to hold her club herself, and she had begged Professor McGonagall to allow her to redecorate it, so it resembled that of a common room. It was comfortable and safe. A place that was made to feel like home.

“Scorpius!” Lily exclaimed as soon as the three kids entered the room, running over to tackle him in a hug which he graciously returned. “I didn’t know you were coming today,” she beamed as she pulled away.

“I thought I’d surprise you! I feel like I haven’t seen you all year!”

“Well, Albus wasn’t joking when he said O.W.Ls meant a shitload of work, and with you guys doing N.E.W.Ts, things are fucking crazy!”

“Language, Lil!” Scorpius scolded to which she grinned and giggled at him. Scorpius rolled his eyes, guessing she’d picked up the potty mouth from Albus.

“Who do we have here?” She asked, looking between Marcy and Jules, her face alight with exhilaration. A small bout of silence meant neither of them were going to speak up, so Scorpius did it for them.

“This is Jules, first-year fellow Slytherin. He’s, er, having a bit of a tough time so I thought I’d introduce him to this amazing thing you got going. And I’m sure you’ve seen Marcy around though I’m not sure you guys have actually met,” Scorpius raised his eyebrows and both the girls shook their heads. “Anyway, guys this is Lily, Albus’ sister.”

“It’s so great you’re both here! Jules, there’s a couple of other first years over there if you want me to introduce you? They’re great kids,” Jules looked up to Scorpius for reassurance, who nodded an encouragement to go.

“Okay,” he said, taking a deep breath. Lily beamed and led him over to a group of four other first years, two Hufflepuff girls, and a Ravenclaw and Gryffindor boy. Marcy tugged on his arm slightly, gaining Scorpius’ attention. She gestured over to the sofa in front of the fireplace where two other students were sat. One was Rose Granger-Weasley, the other Yann Fredericks.

“Hey, Rose!” He spoke, sitting down and pulling Marcy with him. Nervously, she sat close to him as if he provided her with comfort. They hadn’t spoken properly since the kiss a few weeks ago, Scorpius felt too awkward bringing it up. The close proximity in which she sat, however, made him feel slightly uncomfortable, but if he made her feel better then Scorpius decided not to complain.

“Hey, Scorp,” she smiled back. His relationship with Rose had grown considerably since they first met way back in fifth year. Back then, she hated his guts and he wasn’t fond of her either. He admired her for her fierce persona and ability to not take anyone’s shit, but there were certain ways to do that without being mean, and mostly she was just mean. However, she had blossomed. She had softened around the edges, so even though her glare could send people running for miles, her heart was kind.

“How’s your half of the history research going?” She asked, smiling sweetly at Marcy before averting her eyes back to Scorpius.

“Not bad. How’s Quidditch going? I hear Slytherin are kicking your asses this year,” he grinned, and she rolled her eyes.

“In your dreams, Malfoy. Anyway, I hear that Slytherin would be playing ten times better if they had a certain blond-haired boy as their seeker.” It was Scorpius’ turn to roll his eyes.

“What? You could have been seeker?” Marcy asked, finally finding her voice after a long silence.

“Leo asked me to try-out, we go flying together sometimes and he thinks I’d make a good seeker. Because I refused to try-out, he got the captain to sneak a look one time when we went flying and he offered me the position, but I turned it down,” Scorpius had tried to keep that a secret. Leo and Albus both scolded him for turning it down, but Quidditch just wasn’t his cup of tea.

“Why?”

“Quidditch isn’t my thing. Besides, Leo is the only person on the team who actually likes me, the rest would have just put up with me because I can catch. It wasn’t worth spending my time on. Besides, I barely see Albus enough as it is, imagine if I had Quidditch practice all the time, too. No thank you!”

“Well, I think you would have made an exceptional addition to the team,” Rose input, again smiling sweetly at him. He returned the gesture.

Lily returned from the first-years and probably other groups of people she’d been checking on and dropped herself down on the floor in front of Scorpius. Almost like it was second nature, Scorpius began brushing his fingers through her long ginger hair and separating it into two parts. Tying the one side off with a bobble that Lily provided him with, he began to French plait the other side.

“Do you always do that?” Marcy questioned, raising her eyebrows at him. Scorpius nodded enthusiastically. It was actually something that both he and Lily enjoyed. Their bond had grown over the time he’d known her and one day when he found himself alone in Albus’ house waiting for him to return from a coffee bonding session with his dad, he started to feel slightly anxious. Lily, his saving grace, had floated down the stairs and greeted him with a bright smile. She then asked him if he could braid hair because her mum was out, and she couldn’t do it on her own.

In the days leading up to his mother’s death, she had taught him how to French plait her hair. It was a style that kept it from her face and out the way, she said it made her feel free, like she could breathe again. So, it was, in fact, something he could do. He agreed to help her and they sat in a position almost identical to now as he braided her hair whilst she chatted away aimlessly. The simple act had distracted him from his anxiety and wasted time whilst waiting for Albus, and Lily had enjoyed spending time with him. It had become a routine to them, to the extent that Lily hardly ever had to ask anymore.

Lily chatted away now, the two Gryffindors and two Slytherins listening intently to her story about that mornings’ potion class and a couple who broke up because neither of them smelt the other when presented with Amortentia. It all sounded very dramatic, though apparently the girl was heartbroken, and Lily had to comfort her. She had always had a kind, soft heart.

Scorpius sat and listened to the soft giggles of Marcy sat beside him, of Rose’s uncontrollable snorts that apparently Yann Fredericks thought were adorable because he couldn’t take his eyes off her. He sat and listened to Lily’s soft voice and she worked through story after story, after all she was quite the narrator. More and more people began to gather round Lily, all of them fascinated by her flare for the dramatics. She attracted the crowd with ease, pulling them in with her charismatic charm and endless humour.

Justin Falker took the spare seat next to Scorpius and smiled widely at him. Unfortunately, Lily and Justin never worked out. They dated for a few weeks but had mutually agreed they were better off as friends. And they were, they were the best of friends despite Justin being a year older. The idea of the club started with just the two of them, but eventually they both recruited more people to help form it, which is how it became the booming place it was today.

As it grew later and closer to curfew, the crowd began to thin out. Jules had thanked Scorpius for bringing him along, told him all about his new friends and wished him goodnight about an hour ago and many others had retired to their dorm rooms. Still sat around the fire was him and Marcy, Lily and Justin and Rose and Yann.

Justin had swapped places with Rose, now deep in a conversation with Yann about something Scorpius struggled to follow. Still on the floor, Lily had turned to face the other three sharing the sofa. As the night progressed, Marcy had grown slightly more confident and had stop leaning on Scorpius as much for comfort, meaning he had some of his personal space back.

“So, I wanted to ask you guys something,” Scorpius started, gaining everyone’s attention in a second.

“Shoot, Scorp,” Lily encouraged, and he saw Rose nod out the corner of his eye.

“I need some advice,” now, Marcy seemed more interested. “But first of all, what do you think about me asking Albus to move in with me after graduation?”

“What?” Lily jumped up, her smile wide with excitement. She jumped onto Scorpius, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him fiercely. “Scorpius that’s amazing, do it! Albus will say yes without a doubt! He’s always sulking whenever you’re not around,” she pulled away from him, settling herself back on the floor, the smile never leaving her face. Scorpius adjusted his glasses which Lily had pushed askew, before removing them completely. They were starting to irritate him.

“You think he’ll say yes?”

“Of course, he will,” it was Rose’s turn to speak, though she didn’t seem as excited as Lily. That made sense, Lily was an excitable ball of sunshine.

“Yeah, he will. He loves you, Scorpius,” Marcy added, sounding even less excited, but Scorpius brushed it off. He guessed it was jealousy, she had kissed him after all, which meant she had some kind of feelings towards him. He felt guilty, like he had led her on somehow even though he’d been with Albus longer than he’d known her. That didn’t mean she couldn’t develop feelings though, and maybe Scorpius had somehow allowed them to grow without meaning to. He felt guilty nonetheless.

“So, how do I do it?”

“Just ask him, silly. It’s not a proposal,” Lily joked.

“But it’s still a big deal.”

“No grand gestures, you know he hates that.”

“I know.”

“Just ask him one night when it’s just the two of you. Or go on a date and ask him then, but keep it simple, don’t overthink it.” Lily was right.

“Don’t overthink it?” Scorpius protested. “Lily, have you met me?” She burst into a fit of giggles to which Rose shortly followed. Scorpius rolled his eyes and looked at Marcy, who also had a small grin on her face.

“Okay, good point!” Lily finally said. “It’s getting late, we should pack up here,” she said, rising from her spot and directing her comment to Justin who nodded his head.

“Need any help?” Scorpius asked.

“Nope, you go, you look tired,” he nodded and stood to embrace her in a hug. He offered a hug to Rose as well, who accepted to his surprise. Waving goodbye to Justin and Yann, he and Marcy made their way out the room to the moving staircases that would lead them back down to the dungeons.

“Hey, fancy a walk?” She suggested. “Curfews not for like an hour and I don’t fancy going back yet,” Scorpius checked his watch briefly.

“Sure, the lake?” He asked, and she nodded.

Together they made their way outside. Late night walking had become a tradition of theirs during sixth year. After a long day spent revising in the library, the two would come out for a short walk to stretch their legs. Sometimes Albus would come along, and other times Leo and Emily too, but mostly it was just the two of them. Marcy felt comfortable around Scorpius, though he had no idea why. Albus said it was because he brought the best out in people. Scorpius quite liked that thought.

The brisk late-October air sent a chill down his spine. The cold had settled over Scotland early that year, the wind bitter against their thin school robes. The wind whistled through his ears, aggravating his headache slightly. He hadn’t had one all day, even the usual dull ache had subsided for a short time, but since leaving the House Unity club, it had wormed its way back to forefront of his brain. Scorpius welcomed it like an old friend.

Darkness had settled over the castle, the stars hidden behind thick, dark clouds. Even the moon was barely out, half hidden behind the clouds itself. Scorpius preferred clear nights when the stars shone with full force, it reminded him of nights spent with his mother, curled up in blankets on the roof of their house in France. His heart faltered with the thought.

“You know, I think Rose Granger-Weasley is in love with you,” Marcy suddenly spoke, breaking the silence and cutting through the wind. Scorpius scoffed.

“Rose Granger-Weasley is not in love with me, don’t be ridiculous, I’m dating her cousin!” He exclaimed.

“Don’t remind me,” she muttered, and Scorpius barely caught what she said.

“What?” He guessed she’d never meant to say it out loud, so Scorpius challenged her.

“Nothing,” she mumbled back, confirming Scorpius’ thoughts. He sighed, knowing that there was nothing he could do to stop Marcy from hurting. It wasn’t like he could make her stop having feelings for him, things just didn’t work like that.

In silence they walked to the lake, the surface of the water reflecting the pale moonlight that wasn’t hiding behind the clouds. The lake was tranquil, untouched, peaceful. Scorpius had almost forgotten about the giant squid beneath the surface until a ripple reminded him that dangers lurked below the troubled waters. He stepped back, suddenly fearful. He’d never particularly liked water, especially large bodies of it like lakes and the ocean, for you never knew what was prowling beneath the surface, it sent a shudder through his body.

A pain shot through his head, causing him to stumble backwards into a tree, which he held onto to keep him stable. His other hand went to his forehead, eyes squeezed shut as he begged for the pain to stop.

“Scorpius?” He heard Marcy’s worried voice, and he opened his eyes to find her standing a few feet away from him. The wind wrapped her long hair around her face and neck, but she did nothing to deter it away. “I’m really sorry,” sorry? Had he heard her correctly?

The gale whistled around him, wrapping around his head and ears. He could barely hear anything above it and could barely see through the excruciating pain ringing in his head. He squeezed his eyes closed again, gathering his thoughts for a short moment before opening them to look back at Marcy. She hadn’t moved, but she now had her wand out, a hand wrapped tightly around it. It was pointed down at the floor.

“Marce?” Scorpius asked, worried. He tried to focus, but the pain wouldn’t let him. “Marcy, what are you doing?” He asked, but his voice was quiet and full of agony and he was worried she hadn’t heard him. Looking at her through narrowed eyes he noticed her lips move but he didn’t catch the word that came out.

The pain overcame him in a rush, sending him crashing to the floor. His fingers clawed at his scalp, nails digging into his temples, desperate to stop the pounding ache. His eyes squeezed shut and the overwhelming urge to _push_ came to him once again so he obliged. He pushed and pushed with all his might, forcing away the pain and the discomfort.

 _Go away_ , he screamed to himself.

“Scorpius?” His eyes were still shut but he didn’t recognise the sound of the voice calling his name. The pain in his skull had eased down to a dull ache. He opened his eyes only to be met with a pair of emerald green ones staring back at him. “Scorpius, are you okay?” The boy with dark hair was invading his personal space, his hands running up and down his face and through his hair. What was he doing? Checking for injuries? He felt fine. His eyes were wild with worry.

“Do I know you?” Scorpius asked, his own voice sounding foreign and muffled, like he was speaking underwater. Heartbreak settled over the boy’s face, his shoulders drooping, and he let out a saddened sigh. He spoke again but this time Scorpius couldn’t hear him.

The pain from before came shooting back through his brain. _Push,_ his voice screamed at him, so he tried again. Tightening his eyes and digging his palms into them he pushed again. He pushed against the pain and the screaming and the uneasiness. It thumped through his skull, the agony sending him dizzy. If he weren’t already on the floor, then he almost certainly would have fallen over. Dropping down into a foetal position, Scorpius wrapped his arms around his legs for comfort. He screamed through the torment, begging for it to stop.

Then, it did.

The agonising throb stopped, leaving a stinging feeling behind that tingled through his skull, but the overall agony had subsided. When Scorpius finally opened his eyes, he was alone. Albus was nowhere to be seen and neither was Marcy.

Panic settled over him. Had someone attacked them? What exactly had just happened? Albus was there a second ago, he was sure of it. He had seen him, or had he? Maybe in the haze of the headache he had just imagined him there because Albus was always there for him when they happened. But, that didn’t solve the mystery of where Marcy had disappeared to.

Searching frantically around for his wand, Scorpius eventually found it near the tree, though he wasn’t sure at what point he’d taken it from his robe. His breathing was staggered and heavy, he could barely process any of his thoughts. He tried to focus, attempting to take deep breaths but failing miserably. He thought back on his lessons with Professor Appleby and tried to clear his mind.

He thought of Albus. Of his bright green eyes and shining perfect smile. Of the way he’d hum along to a muggle tune whenever he had been focusing on studying for too long. Of the way he takes Scorpius’ hands in his whenever either of them feels nervous. Of the way his lips felt against his, soft and warm and mesmerising. Of the way he always smelt faintly of a burning fire, knowing he spent way too much time curled in a blanket in front of the fireplace in the common room. He thought of everything. He let Albus clear his mind the way he always had the magical ability to do so. Albus laughing. Albus shaking his head in faux disappointment. Albus crying. Albus holding his hand. Albus hugging him. Albus kissing him.

“Expecto-” he began but lost his breath. Taking in a deep breath again, he flooded his mind with Albus.

“Expecto Patronum,” he managed, circling his wand with a tired hand and feeling the last of his energy drain from him. A dazzling silver light emerged from the tip of his wand, curling itself into the shape of an asp. Forcing his head up to meet the eyes of the snake that had emerged from his wand, Scorpius tried to focus his energy on it.

“Albus, I’m at the lake. Can you please come and get me?” He quaked, a sob erupting from him as he sent the Patronus on his way. Losing any and all energy and the headache still residing in his brain, Scorpius let himself drop to the cold, wet ground and let darkness overcome him.

 


	6. Always

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's update time! Let me know what you think, kudos and comments welcome! 
> 
> Also, hope you guys liked the idea of Scorpius' patronus being an asp. Like ASP. As in Albus Severus Potter. Yeah, i thought it was adorkable.

He had never run so fast before in his life. His surroundings blurred around him as he raced passed various portraits, all moaning under the light of his wand. The floor swayed beneath him, threatening to sweep up his feet and send him flying to the floor. He didn’t have time for that. His legs wobbled and shook as he sprinted through the castle and onto the grounds. Ignoring the burning pain shooting through his legs, the stitch in his stomach and his ragged breathing, he pushed on.

His thoughts had been jumbled since the arrival of Scorpius’ Patronus in the dorm. The asp hissed in Scorpius’ voice, begging him to come get him. He sounded out of breath and tired and drained and Albus could have sworn he was crying, so without hesitation he ran from the dorm, Leo hot on his heels. Albus should have known something was wrong when he didn’t return from Lily’s club straight away, but Scorpius had a mind of his own and he liked to wander, so Albus thought little of it.

They had seen Marcy upon leaving the dorm, Albus ignored her but Leo stopped to ask where Scorpius was. She had ignored him and walked straight passed them to go to her dorm, leaving Leo baffled and confused. He sprinted after Albus, who was already halfway to the Hogwarts grounds, but Leo being the typical jock quickly caught up.

The cold wind blasted him with full force when he exited the castle, the sharpness stealing his breath. Albus came to a quick halt, his legs nearly collapsing beneath him when Leo ran straight into him, not sensing the unexpected stop.

“Scor?” Albus’ voice sounded far away, the pounding of his heart in his ears taking over his senses. In the distance he saw Hagrid and Neville, carrying what looked like the corpse a blond-headed boy. He looked so small in the giant’s arms and Albus suddenly forgot how to breathe. Finding his ability to walk, Albus made his way towards them at a quick jog, Leo on his heels.

“Neville? What happened?” He asked, shocked by how strong his voice sounded. He looked to Scorpius lying limp in Hagrid’s arms, the only sign he was alive was the faint rise and fall of his chest. And was that blood? Was he bleeding? Red streaked down the sides of his face, but in the dark Albus couldn’t see the source of the blood. Albus let out a choked sob, his legs nearly collapsing beneath him, but Leo caught him. He half-carried Albus back into the castle alongside Neville, Hagrid and his unconscious boyfriend.

“We don’t know, Albus, we found him unconscious by the lake. He’s alive but we need to get him to Madame Pomfrey now,” he sounded urgent and worried and that caused Albus’ heart to break into a million pieces.

He was fine when Albus saw him earlier. He didn’t even scrunch his eyes in discomfort, he didn’t seem to have a headache at all. Albus could only assume that it was his headaches that caused this. He couldn’t breathe, he could barely walk. Worry flooded over his system, it ached his heart and constricted his lungs. It wrapped around him like a blanket, sending a chill through his body, the cold lingering in his bones.

Upon arrival to the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey rushed him to a bed and ushered everyone else out. Leo and Neville had to drag Albus out kicking and screaming, protesting about leaving him alone. His godfather tried to comfort him, telling him that Scorpius would be fine but right now they both needed to rest, but Albus didn’t care. Scorpius had called for him and begged him for his help and Albus couldn’t give it him. He felt like he’d betrayed him.

Albus collapsed to the ground outside the hospital wing and Leo sat beside him, pulling Albus into his arms and holding him tight. Neville decided on being the devils’ advocate and left the two boys alone to sob in the dark of halls, knowing exactly the worry they felt. Neville left to fetch Professor McGonagall, warning her of the scene they stumbled upon and sending an owl to Draco Malfoy to inform him of the state of his son.

Time seemed to pass painfully slowly. Professors and matrons were coming in and out of the hospital wing to check on Scorpius, but none of them ever had any news. The waiting was the worst part. Every time those doors opened a flood of dread blanketed him, so sure someone would tell him the worst of news. When they ignored the shivering boys on the floor, Albus almost felt relieved. No news was sometimes good news, at least that’s what he tried to tell himself.

Albus wasn’t sure exactly how long he and Leo sat on the cold, stone floor. He sobbed for so long and so intensely that when the tears eventually stopped he felt numb and empty. Behind those closed doors was a boy he loved with every ounce of his being, yet he was unconscious, scratched and alone. He must be so scared and confused. In his last moments of consciousness, he had called for Albus and now Albus had failed him. He couldn’t hold him or comfort him. He couldn’t fix him or cure him. He couldn’t stop him from hurting. The only thing Albus could do was love him from afar, and that wasn’t enough.

Feeling pretty much useless, Albus let himself wonder what exactly Scorpius had been doing at the lake. He told Albus he was going to Lily’s Unity Club and when he left Albus he was going to pick up Marcy from…

Marcy.

Albus jumped up and started pacing back and forth. Leo looked upon him with confusion.

“Marcy,” was all Albus said and he watched as Leo’s face turned from confusion, to inquisitive to knowing within seconds.

“She was meant to be with Scorpius,” he spoke.

“But she wasn’t and came back looking all…”

“Distracted and weird.”

“Did she say anything?”

“Nope, but we should go ask her, she knows something, I have a feeling,” no more words were needed. Albus and Leo ran back to their dorm room, avoiding the caretaker on their way because it was hours past curfew, though they could easily get Neville to get them out of detention.

Upon entering the common room, the two boys were forced to come to a halt when they saw Emily wrapped in a blanket by the fireplace. It was very late at night – or early in the morning, depending on how you looked at it - everyone else should have been in bed. She turned at the sound of the entering, her face lighting up with excitement that quickly formed into worry.

“Where have you guys been?” She asked, her voice stern and Albus was reminded how much he’d hate to get caught in the corridors passed curfew. He thanked the heavens that she was his friend. “Marcy’s acting weird,” she continued, getting out her seat and walking over to them, not giving them a chance to speak. “I got back from rounds and she was sat rocking back and forth on her bed and I came to talk to you guys about it, but Cian said you’d ran out after receiving a Patronus. Who the hell would be sending you a Patronus?”

“Scorpius,” she contemplated this for a moment before accepting it, after all Scorpius was the most talented student in the school. If anyone could cast a Patronus, it would be him. “We don’t know what happened but we-” Albus glanced at Leo. “I have a feeling Marcy’s involved,” Albus finished, but Leo nodded to let him know he agreed.

“You sound like Scorpius, get to the point,” she scolded. “Where even is he? Is he okay?”

“Scorpius is in the hospital wing,” she gasped, her eyes wide with worry. “We don’t know exactly what happened, but what I do know is Marcy was supposed to be with him, but he somehow ended up passed out by the lake and she came back here acting weird. If she knew something had happened, why would she abandon him unless she was involved?”

“But, we can’t jump to that conclusion,” Leo now added, although Albus was sure he was thinking the same. “Why don’t we just speak to her? She’s supposed to be our friend.”

“She’s not speaking to anyone, wouldn’t even look me in the eye when I asked her what was wrong.” Emily looked conflicted, she was friends with everyone, but her and Marcy had become close over the past year. They all had become close, and Albus desperately wanted to believe that one of his friends – Scorpius’ first friend besides him – hadn’t turned on them in some way. Scorpius would never recover from that betrayal. He was too soft and too kind and Albus couldn’t protect him from a world so cruel. He had already lost so much, Albus never wanted him to lose anything again.

“Look, all I know is my boyfriend was left abandoned by the lake in the cold and she was supposed to be with him!” Albus raised his voice slightly. He wasn’t angry at them, he wasn’t sure exactly who he was angry at. Maybe it was Marcy for leaving him, or maybe it was just the situation. Maybe it was himself for not being there for him.

“Is he going to be okay?” Emily now asked, her voice quiet. Albus shrugged. He didn’t know. No one had told him anything. They rushed Scorpius off and ushered him out the room. The last thing he’d seen was his limp arm dangling off the bed as Madame Pomfrey worked her magic.

The idea of him unconscious and alone formed a lump in Albus’ throat. He was probably cold, the blankets in the infirmary were quite thin and he’d been outside for probably close to an hour. The temperature had taken a sudden drop, the wind making for a particular bitter day. Without saying another word, Albus stalked off to the dorm room. He walked over to his bed and picked up a hoody that Scorpius loved to wear and then over to Scorpius’ bed and picked up the blanket he always slept with. It was his mothers’. He would want it with him.

With the two items in hand he went back to the common room to find Leo and Emily in a quiet but heated conversation. Emily stopped when she saw him approaching, her face dropping into a sorrowful look. Albus must have looked like a kicked puppy. He felt like one too. His heart was heavy, weighting down his entire body. He wanted to collapse, wrapped up in Scorpius’ blanket, but there was something in the forefront of his brain that wouldn’t allow it.

Giving him a sympathetic smile, Emily wrapped her arms around Albus and allowed him to bury his head in her hair. Leo joined them, using his Chaser’s build to engulf the other two into a hug. Albus let the tears fall again, unable to stop them but not wanting to.

“Albus?” The voice of his godfather caused the teens to pull away, all looking at the Professor with hope in their eyes. “He’s awake and he’s asking for you,” Albus let out a deep breath he hadn’t realised he was holding. The weight had been lifted from his heart and warmth returned to his bones.

It must have been reaching early morning by now, the sun would soon be rising over the castle and classes would begin. But Albus, Leo and Emily had no intention of attending classes that day. They walked at a brisk pace with Professor Longbottom, Albus taking the lead, his steps more determined. Neville had explained to the three teens that Madame Pomfrey declared he had passed out from pain, which was a relief to hear. All being well, he’d be out by the end of the day.

They entered the hospital wing, Albus instantly spotting Scorpius in the corner sitting crossed-legged on the bed. His glasses were askew, his hair messily ruffled like he’d been running his hand through it. Around him was Professor McGonagall, Professor Appleby and Madame Pomfrey.

“I didn’t realise just how bad these headaches were, Mr. Malfoy,” Albus heard McGonagall say as the three Slytherins and Neville approached the bed. Upon seeing him, Scorpius’ face lit up like a Christmas tree. A wave of relief blanketed over him, and he allowed himself to relax for the first time in hours. He walked over the bed, wrapping his arms around Scorpius and allowing himself to breathe in his scent.

He was okay.

He was better than okay.

Albus could breathe again.

He pulled away, settling himself on the bed next to him as Leo and Emily embraced him too, telling him they were glad he’s okay. Albus observed him closer. His eyes were black around the edges, bags from weeks of not sleeping properly piled on top of stress from school. He seemed paler than usual and Albus presumed it was from the cold, so he wrapped the blanket he’d picked up around his shoulders. Scorpius gave him a thankful smile. The blood Albus had seen earlier had been cleaned up and in the light, he could see the fingernail marks starting at his temple and scratching down his cheeks, they were also some beyond his thin hair, buried deep into his skull.

That must have been the source of the blood. Albus felt nauseous at the very idea of how that had happened. Albus took one of Scorpius’ hands in his and surveyed his nails, the dried blood beneath them confirmed his suspicions. Scorpius had clawed away at his own head. The sinking feeling grew, but rather than bringing it up, Albus planted a kiss to his temple, as though that could cure the wounds he’d marked himself with.

“They weren’t bad,” Scorpius finally said, responding the McGonagall’s earlier comment now that everyone had stopped fussing. “Professor, this one was different. I don’t think it was a usual run-of-the-mill headache.”

“Then what do you propose it is?”

“Maybe if I explain what happened to the best of my ability, honestly most of its kind of fuzzy, but maybe you’d be able to help figure it out?” Albus squeezed his hand in comfort and Scorpius smiled at him, though his eyes were sad.

“Very well,” McGonagall summoned chairs for the surrounding staff, and Leo and Emily decided to take up camp on Scorpius’ bed with him and Albus. It was quite a small space for the four of them, but somehow, they made it work.

“Well, I was with Marcy down by the lake. Marcy… is she okay?” He asked, suddenly worried for the whereabouts of his friend.

“She’s in her dorm, Scorp, she’s okay,” Emily reassured, rubbing a hand over his arm. He nodded and continued on with his story.

“We were just having a quick walk when I started to get one of the headaches. But it was more intense this time, like blindingly intense. They’ve been like that before a few times, but I don’t know what happened this time. Anyway, I opened my eyes to see Marcy’s wand raised at me and she said something, but I couldn’t hear her over the pounding and the wind. Then, I was on the floor clawing at my head to try and make it stop and it did.

“Then, something happened. I’m not sure how to describe it, but it was like an image in my head. At the time it felt real, like it was actually happening right there and then. The scene involved Albus who came looking for me, but I didn’t remember who he was. I know it wasn’t real because when the pain started again he wasn’t there and he wouldn’t have left me. I curled up into a ball and sobbed until the pain stopped again and when it did, there was no one around. Marcy had gone somewhere and obviously Albus was never really there. So, I summoned a Patronus with the last of my energy and asked Albus to come get me. Then I woke up here.”

For a long time, no one spoke, and it put Albus on edge. He could only imagine how Scorpius had felt. How scary this must be for him. The one thing he could always rely on was his brain and now even that was beginning to betray him. Albus held one of his hands whilst Emily held the other, Leo sat behind Scorpius resting his chin on his shoulder, half-hugging him from behind. Though where he normally craved affection, it seemed to do nothing for his anxiety. His mouth formed a thin line and his brows were furrowed behind his glasses. No one, not even Albus, could help him now. He needed answers.

The four adults looked between themselves, casting worried glances at each other, speaking without actually saying words. It was haunting and with each passing second, Albus could tell the others were growing more and more anxious. Then finally, it was Professor Longbottom who spoke up.

“Scorpius, these headaches, what do they feel like?” Albus could only hope his godfather was onto something.

“Like someone’s trying to dig into my brain with a knife, but not a sharp one. The knife’s blunt and it takes a lot of pounding and digging to get in. Mostly it goes away because I push it,” he had never described them like that to Albus before.

“Push it?” Albus asked, seemingly asking the same question Madame Pomfrey was about to ask because she opened her mouth but closed it when Albus beat her to it.

“Yeah, something inside my brain tells me to push it away, so I do. It’s like an instinct and it goes away. They aren’t always like that, most the time it’s just a dull ache, they don’t come on full force like that often.”

“Mr. Malfoy, are you familiar with Occlumency?” Professor McGonagall asked as Neville nodded along, his brain clearly on the same page. Albus had heard about it before but no one had ever told him what it was. His dad had mentioned it a few times within his stories of the war, but Albus mostly tuned all of them out, he didn’t care much for them.

“Yeah. When I was younger my mum and dad taught it me. My dad was worried that someone from his past would come after me for revenge or something, so he taught me Occlumency, so I would be able to keep them out my head. I’ve never had to use it though.”

“Scorpius, I think you have been using it,” Neville said now, and Scorpius scrunched his face up at him. On anyone else, it would have seemed like a rude gesture, but on Scorpius you could tell it was laced with confusion and it was unfairly adorable.

“Huh?” He chuckled, the very idea of it was absurd.

“Unknowingly, of course. But if you’ve been taught it at a young age I guess it becomes like instinct. If someone’s trying to invade your privacy, it becomes like second nature to block them out,” Professor McGonagall nodded alongside Neville. Albus wondered at one point he’d become so knowledgeable on the subject.

“Wait,” Scorpius said, “you think someone’s been using Legilimency on me?” Scorpius chuckled again, but no one else found the situation amusing. _Legilimency_ , now that was something Albus had heard about and knew quite a fair bit about. Everything he did know wasn’t exactly pleasant. It was a skill, either natural or taught, that allowed you to enter a person’s mind and search it for memories. A particularly skilled Legilimens could even plant images into someone’s mind. It was a type of dark magic that Albus hoped he’d never have to face.

“It makes sense, with the headaches and that image of Albus you described earlier,” McGonagall now took over speaking.

“I don’t even know anyone who could do that!” Scorpius was getting frustrated now. “This is absurd! Why would someone want to get into my head? Why would someone put me through that pain? Why would anyone want that anyway and what exactly did I do to deserve it? Also, who even has the power to do that?” Scorpius’ questions came out rushed and frantic, his hands flailing around the place emphasising his point. His previous amusement on the situation grew quickly into anxiety with his passing question.

“Marcy?” Leo suggested and Albus saw Scorpius roll his eyes.

“Marcy wouldn’t do that. Marcy couldn’t do that. Not unless she was born a Legilimens, but she’s my friend, why would she do this?”

“She _might_ have been born one. And she left you down at the lake, remember? If she wasn’t hiding something, then she would have helped. And, she raised her wand to you! And she kissed you!” Albus had no desire to defend her, he’d known something was up with her. He just wished he’d known sooner.

“She WHAT?” Both Leo and Emily queried. It seems the Professors were content in sitting back and watching the drama unfold. They had to get their entertainment from somewhere and with teenagers, there was always some kind of drama.

“That doesn’t mean anything!” Scorpius defended. He always had to see the best in people.

“She’s obviously hurting that you turned her down and now she wants revenge,” Albus retorted.

“But the headaches have been happening since fifth year.”

“Yeah, ironically they got this bad after you met her.”

This was the closest the two boys had come to arguing since their debacle in the Great Hall back in fifth year. They hadn’t argued since, not even little petty things, they were too busy being in love. Albus tried to take a deep breath, trying not to escalate the situation. He didn’t want to argue, and he wasn’t annoyed at all, especially not at Scorpius. He wanted to see the best in people, Albus could never fault him for that, but for once he wished he would just open his eyes and see the world isn’t full of good people. The world was full of bad people with a few good.

It seems, however, that Scorpius couldn’t conjure up a response. He just slumped his shoulder and started playing with a loose thread on his mothers’ blanket. He took his glasses off, throwing them frustratingly to the end of the bed and rubbed his eyes raw.

“I need to sleep,” he finally spoke, his voice quiet and hoarse. It sounded like an innocent statement, but Albus could hear the intended _leave me alone_ behind the words. Albus felt his heart drop, terrified that what he had said had pushed Scorpius away. The Professors obliged, claiming it was good for him to rest before leaving the kids to it. Professor Appleby bid them all free of classes for the day. Leo and Emily embraced Scorpius separately, telling him to feel better and that they’d pop by later. Albus was about to follow them out the infirmary when Scorpius grabbed his wrist firmly.

“You promised me you’d always stay,” was all he said, eyes filling with tears as he swallowed a lump in his throat. Albus forced a smile on his lips and nodded.

“And I always will,” he said, climbing into bed next to Scorpius and wrapping his arms around him. Scorpius broke down into sobs as soon as his head buried itself in Albus’ chest and Albus kissed the top of his head and pulled him closer. He breathed in his scent and basked in his warmth. He was okay - physically. He wasn’t annoyed at him. They were great. Whatever was going on they’d figure out together, like they always did.


	7. Love Can be Someones Downfall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're actually reading this then thank you! It'll probably be fully uploaded so I can move on to another fic I'm writing! Hope you're enjoying this.
> 
> **TRIGGER WARNINGS**  
> \- Suicidal thoughts and actions  
> \- Anxiety

The Great Hall boomed with laughter and chatter, conversations dancing around the hall, filling the ears of excited, young kids who had way too much to talk about. That evening, it seemed louder and busier than usual, like everyone had just decided to come down for dinner at the same damn time. Separate conversations muddled into one creating a bustle of neutral voices that drilled right into his brain. It seemed the sensory overload was too much for Scorpius as well, who notably winced when they walked through the doors.

Tightening the grip on his hand, Albus led Scorpius over to the Slytherin table, where Emily and Leo were sat waiting for them, their plates already full of food. Scorpius leaned most of his weight on Albus, still exhausted from the previous nights’ events. Madame Pomfrey had discharged him just before dinner started, giving them enough time to shower and clean up before dinner. She had determined his faint had been caused by exhaustion and pain, the use of Occlumency – the theory they were rolling with, apparently – and the summoning of his Patronus had depleted his magic and drained his body of energy. So, naturally, it shut down.  This meant that he was on strict orders to avoid using magic until he felt properly rejuvenated, and that he spent the weekend resting, much to Scorpius’ dismay.

The two of them had slept the day away. Albus had only been woken up twice, once around midday to find Scorpius curled up in the tiniest of balls against him, burying his head in his underarm which must have made it difficult to breathe. Albus had always been so amazed by how someone as tall as Scorpius – with his gangly arms and legs – could shrivel up into something so small. It was quite the heart-breaking sight. He cuddled up to him closer and went back to sleep, the darkness accepting him like an old friend. The second time was when Scorpius’ father had been to visit, frantic and worried about his son.

For whatever reason, Scorpius had not told his father about their suspicions with Marcy, only that the pain from his headache had caused him to pass out and no one questioned why he decided to lie. Though Albus suspected it was because he was trying to protect Marcy, as he still believed she could never do anything like this. They had fallen back to sleep after he’d left and was then only woken by Madame Pomfrey who wished them on their way, much to Albus’ delight.

Though Scorpius had been uncharacteristically quiet since leaving. In fact, thinking about it, Albus wasn’t sure he’d said anything at all. He’d leaned on Albus all the way from the hospital wing to the dorm, only leaving his side for all of five minutes whilst they both showered and then was back next to him and leaning against him again for the walk to the Great Hall. Despite sleeping all day, Albus was worried he was going to pass out from fatigue.

Albus was only half thankful for the distraction of his friends, who instantly invited them into their conversation on Quidditch techniques, not that Albus cared all that much. He smiled and nodded through their excitement, trying to look as invested as possible. That was hard, though, when the blond-haired boy next to him was sat stirring peas around his plate with a fork precariously in his hand. His eyes were focused solely on the plate, though Albus knew his mind was elsewhere.

“Where’s Marcy?” He finally asked, cutting Emily off from a long-winded explanation of how to properly nose-dive on a broom without the risk of hitting the ground. Albus would have been glad for the conversation change if it had been anything but _that._ Silence settled over the small group of friends, all mutely shocked that Scorpius had bothered to say anything at all. They all thought they were in for a night of distant eyes and cold shoulders. They were wrong. When they silence had begun to get awkward, Scorpius finally looked up from his plate, eyes wandering over Leo and Emily, wide and questioning.

“We don’t know,” Leo finally said.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Albus was desperate to know what was going through Scorpius’ head. He wondered why he found it so hard to believe that their friend wanted to harm him. Though he knew the answer: because she was their friend. Friends don’t hurt other friends, it was in the friend rule book, or so he thought. And Scorpius would take any other scenario right now over the thought that their friend wasn’t a friend anymore.

“She wasn’t in the dorm when we got back,” Emily continued. “We asked around, she wasn’t in classes today and we did try and look for her. But, you know what Marcy’s like, if she doesn’t want to be found then she won’t be found,” it was true. Marcy was almost as good at hiding as Albus was, though no one had quite mastered his level of skill. One time in sixth year, Marcy had hidden herself away for the entire day after failing her potions mock practical. Scorpius eventually found her in the broomstick cupboard by the Quidditch grounds and had only stumbled upon her by accident when fishing for his own broom.

“What if she’s in danger?”

“Scorpi-”

“No. For all we know she might not have been involved. For all we know it might have been an attack on the both of us!” Scorpius cut Emily off, raising his voice but the soft tone indicated his level of worry.

“Then why would she-”

“We don’t know the full story!”

Silence settled among the teens once again. Scorpius looked at each of them in turn, eyes wild and frantic behind his glasses, then he let out a loud sigh and turned his attention back to his plate, the peas becoming the most interesting thing in the room. Albus sighed and placed a hand on his back, rubbing circles in a way he knew comforted the boy. Emily and Leo exchanged looks with Albus. No one knew what to do. None of them had ever seen Scorpius in this way before. Albus couldn’t even determine his thoughts.

It was like he was worried but Albus weren’t entirely sure whom for. He should be worried for himself, anxious that whoever had been taunting him would continue their little game. Yet, he seemed more worried for the friend who was not-so-much-of-a-friend anymore. But then he also seemed a little angry at her, or maybe he was angry at them, or himself. Maybe he was just angry at the world. But anger was something rarely felt by Scorpius Malfoy. He was too pure for that kind of emotion. Then there was the obvious internal battle he was facing, where his mind raced with thoughts and emotions, but his mouth seemed sewed shut. If Albus was right, his mind was discombobulated, and he couldn’t process his thoughts fast enough to put them into words. So, he stayed silent, and that silence meant everyone around him became worried because it was so out of character which started another internal debate because Scorpius didn’t like people worrying about him. He liked everyone to know he was perfectly fine even if he wasn’t.

Maybe he knew Scorpius better than he thought.

“Okay, you’re right,” Emily finally spoke, severing the silence between them. “We shouldn’t be so quick to judge, we’ll go find her after dinner, okay?” Albus saw Scorpius’ shoulders drop in relief. He looked back up at Emily, a small grateful smile on his lips and nodded.

The bustle of the hall was interrupted by the heavy footsteps of a student breathlessly shouting for aid. Every head in the hall turned to Lily Luna Potter, who ignored them and came to a dramatic halt in front of Albus. His heart dropped, his brain conjuring up the worst of scenarios. His mother or father fallen ill, James falling off his broom at Pro Quidditch practice, their pet owl dying. All thoughts of his own family disappeared, however, when Lily turned her attention to Scorpius.

“You… need to… come… now,” she choked out, her breathing heavy. She must have run quite a distance as Lily was physically fit thanks to her Chaser status on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. She was their star player.

“Lily, what’s wrong?” Scorpius asked, voice laced with confusion and face scrunched up.

“Please, just come on,” she grabbed his arm and pulled him from his seat. Albus, Emily and Leo instantly followed, picking up into a run as Lily led them out the Great Hall and onto the school grounds. It seems half the school was intrigued by the interruption, too, and many followed them out. Including some of the Professors.

Albus found himself, for the second time in less than 24 hours, running as fast as he could to the Black Lake, blindingly following his little sister.

 

* * *

 

 

 _Could the world just not let him rest for one bloody second?_ Scorpius thought as he raced after Lily, through the Entrance Hall and out onto the grounds of Hogwarts. It was almost instantly that he knew they were heading to the lake, and Scorpius wasn’t entirely sure if he was ready to go back there. But, it seems, he didn’t have a choice.

The events of the previous night had left him utterly and completely confused. Every time he tried to think of any explanation he drew a blank. Scorpius didn’t like not knowing, it made an uneasy feeling settle in his stomach. But an even worse feeling arose whenever he thought of Marcy, and the fact that his friends thought she was capable of harming him and for what? What exactly was her motive? That was what Scorpius couldn’t quite figure out and it was driving him crazy.

His heart skipped a beat with worry when they approached the lake. There, surrounded by many students, was Marcy. She wasn’t wearing her school uniform, only a small white dress, a bizarre choice of outfit for this time of year. The wind ripped around her, wrapping her hair around her body and neck. From a distance she could pass as a ghost, her skin even paler against her dress and her hair not being much darker. She was facing the lake at the end of the pier, barefooted and shivering. Her arms rested by the side, her wand gripped so tightly that her knuckles paled.

“She said she would only talk to you,” Lily confirmed, her tone sympathetic.

For a brief moment, Scorpius turned to Albus, just needing to know he was there before he approached the small girl at the end of the pier. He gave him a nod and Scorpius turned back to Marcy. Most the students around her watched from afar, and only a few had joined Marcy on the dock. They all looked at him with empathetic glances as he walked slowly across the wood, taking a deep breath before stopping just before her.

“Marcy?” He began, his voice quiet as to not startle her. If she heard him, she never gave any indication. He wasn’t stood too far away, but he was too wary to get too close. He was about to speak again when her voice stopped him.

“Hello, Scorpius,” the distant edge to her tone sent a chill down Scorpius’ spine. Her voice was higher pitched than usual, seemingly lost in her own thoughts and not focusing enough of what was in front of her. He swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat and took a deep breath.

“Are you okay?” Her head titled slightly at the question and Scorpius was glad for the fact that he couldn’t see her face. He was almost scared of the distant look he knew to be planted there.

“Am I okay?” she repeated and then laughed – no, cackled. “Am I okay?” She repeated, louder this time. She turned rapidly to face him, and Scorpius took a step back, startled. Her eyes were vacant as she bore into him. He felt a headache creep into his skull but tried to ignore it. She was significantly smaller than him, but the look on her face made him feel looked down on. He desperately wanted to shrivel into a ball and cry.

He wished that would solve the situation.

He wished Albus was at his side, so he could hold his hand and ask him what to do. Normally Scorpius would know exactly what to do, but now he was at a loss.

“Do you think I’m okay, Scorpius?” She spat his name like it was poison. She stepped one step closer to him, and Scorpius fought the urge to back away.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, because he genuinely did not know. Though it seemed Marcy expected him to know. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. She did this a few times before seemingly finding exactly what she wanted to say.

“Why can’t you love me?” Scorpius was taken aback. She knew the answer: he had been in a homosexual relationship the entire time he had known her. Apparently, big barriers like this didn’t stop you from falling in love. “I tried everything to get you to love me! I tried to make you forget about him!” She was screaming at him now.

“I wanted you, but you never wanted me. Do you know how much that hurt? Can you even possibly imagine?” He could imagine. He knew exactly what it felt like to want someone who couldn’t love you back. For a short time, he believed that Albus would never be able to love him due to his broken beliefs on love, but he had proved him wrong. The problem was, Scorpius couldn’t do the same for her.

“Marce- I- er,” he was at a genuine loss for words. “It was you?” He asked, hurt evident in his tone. “You’re a Legilimens?”

“Of course, it was me! I thought that if I could get inside your head I could make you forget all about him and fall in love with me. But you blocked me out! Even in your head you managed to block me out! I thought you liked me when you first started helping me with homework, no one had ever done that before,” she had started crying. Hot, wet tears slipped down her pale cheeks. She was shivering harder than before, and even though she had been the one causing Scorpius so much pain for years, he still felt the overwhelming urge to wrap his arms around her and hold her tight. That was all she wanted, right? To be loved?

“I’m sorry that I can’t love you the way you want me too,” he took a bold step towards her, “but I do love you, Marcy. You’re my friend, I care about you.”

“It’s not enough,” she pushed Scorpius forcefully, causing him to stumble backwards and fall clumsily to the floor. He saw Albus move forward out the corner of his eye but was stopped by Leo. Scorpius ignored the stinging pain in his palms as he brushed them off and stood back up again.

“I’m sorry, I wish it was,” there was nothing more he could say. He couldn’t stop her from hurting, and he knew heart-break was one of the worst feelings. He’d felt it, had experienced it. But his heart-break had a happy ending. Hers wouldn’t. Not this time.

“Whatever,” she spoke quietly now. “I can’t do this. You’ll hate me now and I can’t live in a world where you hate me,” she turned back to face the lake, eyes lustfully skimming over the water.

“Wait, Marcy, what does that mean?” She ignored him, taking careful steps to the edge of the pier. Her toes clenched the edge of the wood. “Marcy?” Scorpius said, more urgently this time. She turned to face him once again, way too close to the water’s edge. “We can talk about this,” he was hoping she couldn’t hear how unsure his voice sounded. He just wanted her away from the water.

“There’s nothing to talk about. I love you. You hate me.”

“I don’t hate you.”

“And that’s what makes you so amazing. I always admired the way you saw the best in people, and somehow you’re still seeing the best in me,” Scorpius hated how distant her voice sounded, how she couldn’t quite look him in eye. Her eyes wandered around, unfocused and lost. “I don’t deserve someone like you, but that makes me want you even more.” If she wasn’t scaring him before, she certainly was now. That familiar sense of uneasiness settled in his stomach again.

“Why me?” He asked. He wanted answers.

“You’re different. You’re better. You’re sweet and kind and lovable. But I couldn’t figure you out. With everyone else I could hear their thoughts, but I couldn’t hear yours. You were somehow blocking me out.”

“You shouldn’t invade people’s privacy like that.”

“That’s what father always said, but I needed to know. But you wouldn’t let me. And last night you finally let me in, but I didn’t like what I saw. I saw how much you loved him, so I tried to make you forget him, but it didn’t work, so I ran.”

“I’m sorry,” Scorpius said again. It wasn’t his fault, he knew that. You couldn’t help who you fall in love with. But, that didn’t mean she wasn’t hurting. It didn’t excuse her actions in any way, but maybe if he could have loved her then he could have saved her the pain. But, he couldn’t. So, all he could do was apologise.

“I’m going to go now.”

“Go where?”

“Like I said, I can’t live in a world where you hate me.” _No,_ he tried, but the words got caught in his throat. His heart plummeted to the floor, a wave of guilt and anguish rushing over him, engulfing him like a blanket. Slowly, Marcy raised her wand to herself. _“Incarcerous,_ ” she uttered, and a long rope shot from the tip of her wand, wrapping around her like a scarf.

She would have been fine, everything would have been fine. If she wasn’t standing so bloody close to the water.

If Scorpius had shouted anything he didn’t hear it. The world plummeted into silence around him, his ears temporarily deafened as he watched Marcy suffer under the ropes and fall inelegantly straight into the lake.

He didn’t have time to think before his feet were moving from under him.

Holding his breath, Scorpius dived into the lake after her.

The water thrashed around him, ungrateful of its rude awakening. It had been perfectly at peace until they crashed through the surface, interrupting its tranquillity. Scorpius had forgotten how much he hated water until that moment as he struggled to process his surroundings. The fresh water stung against his eyes. He searched frantically for Marcy and saw her thrashing against the ropes wrapped around her.

He was already struggling to hold his breath, but he tried to ignore it and he waded through the water – thankful his mother had taught him how to swim. He reached her quickly and grabbed her, but she thrashed away from him, kicking and screaming and scratching at him furiously, all while facing the external battle against the rope. Unable to ignore the burning pain growing in his lungs and chest, Scorpius fell impatient. His lungs ached for air, his whole body growing weak with every passing second.

But he couldn’t leave her.

He wasn’t about to let her die.

He wrapped his arms around her, despite her growing protests and pulled his wand from his pocket.

“ _Ascendio,_ ” he shouted, water temporarily filling his mouth as he choked out the word. Though his magic was weak, he had rested enough for the spell to cooperate, and together it lifted them from the water and back onto the pier.

His wand fell out of his grasp as he and Marcy landed with a thud. He had landed first, cushioning her fall. He gently pushed her off him, choking on the water and he sat up and worked on removing the rope from her. She was now barely conscious, but still awake enough to try and pry his hands off her, but Scorpius kept swatting her hand away.

His lungs were on _fire_ as his fingers worked at the rope. He couldn’t stop coughing for long enough to get a decent breath in, but he tried to ignore it. He felt exhausted and cold and his hands shook relentlessly, but this was no longer about him. It was about her. He hadn’t realised the hundreds of people crowded around him, teachers trying to swat him away, so they could get a better look at her. Giving up, he fell backwards to give them room, landing – pleasantly – into Albus’ arms.

If Albus was talking he couldn’t hear anything. His senses failed him as his body slipped into exhaustion mode. Around him, everything was moving fast, his eyes unable to process the movement quick enough. Wrapped safely in Albus’ arms, Scorpius let himself relax, closing his eyes and letting exhaustion take over.

Marcy was okay. She wasn’t dead. He had saved her life.

Even if she didn’t want to be saved.

 

* * *

 

 

“What did I tell you about using magic, Mr Malfoy?” Madame Pomfrey scolded. He had been forced awake by various teachers who insisted he see the schools’ matron before heading to bed for some well-deserved rest. By the time he and Albus had made it, Marcy was already there and being treated. He wanted to see her, but no one would allow him. So, he’d try again tomorrow.

“I didn’t exactly have a choice, ma’am,” he reminded her, and Madame Pomfrey rolled her eyes. Albus chuckled slightly next to him.

“I do rather hate you being in the hospital bed rather than helping me out,” she mused, and Scorpius felt awfully proud that she liked having him by her side. She had been a fantastic teacher so far, Scorpius had learnt so much.

“Well, you did give me the night off,” he winked at her, a wide grin on his face. She chuckled this time and patted him on the back. Scorpius’ smile faltered the moment her back was turned, and Albus squeezed his hand. Scorpius looked over to where Marcy’s bed was, desperate to see through the curtains. He knew she was alright, but part of him – maybe the healer in training – needed to see it for himself. Needed to know exactly what was wrong so he could fix it. But, maybe she was beyond fixing. A broken heart and a broken brain was harder to fix than a broken bone.

“She’ll be okay,” Albus assured, as though he knew exactly what he was thinking. Though, Scorpius knew that he said it out of obligation. It was what people always say when someone ends up in hospital. He should know, he’d heard it his entire life.

_Your mum will be fine._

_It’s just precaution, she’ll be okay._

_It’s just a check-up, she’ll be home before you know it._

Until one day she was gone. Then the comments changed slightly, but in the worst way they stayed the same.

_You’ll be okay._

_You’ll get over it, just take some time._

_It must be hard, but you’ll heal with time._

Quite frankly, he was amazed at how many people were okay with blatantly lying to a thirteen-year-old grieving boy. But, that was just what you said to people. You apologise despite it being out of your control. You assure them even though you know you’re lying. You smile at them brightly, hoping they can’t see through your lies. Scorpius saw through every one of them and every time it made him sick to the stomach. He would rather people have been honest.

He would rather someone have told him that it wasn’t possible to heal from that kind of loss.

“Scorpius, you can go.” Madame Pomfrey declared as she rushed passed his bed and disappeared behind Marcy’s curtain.

“Thank Merlin,” Scorpius said, looking at Albus and forcing a smile. “I’m shattered,” Albus smiled sadly and helped a beat Scorpius off the bed. He allowed him to lean against him as they made their way out the hospital wing and down to the dungeons.

Once there, the boys – too tired to bother with anything except changing into pyjamas – settled down on Scorpius’ bed. On days where Scorpius felt weary, he preferred sleeping in his own bed rather than Albus’. Albus wrapped his arms around him after drawing the curtains, and Scorpius took up the familiar position of resting his head on Albus’ chest. They tangled their legs together beneath the blanket, and Scorpius was thankful for the warmth emitting from his boyfriend.

He had been so cold after getting out the lake, his lungs struggling for breath. He shook relentlessly, and it was only when Albus wrapped his own cloak around Scorpius did he begin to feel human again. Scorpius shivered at the thought, tightening his grip on Albus’ waist and nuzzling his head further into his chest.

“Are you okay?” Albus asked and Scorpius nodded. He was okay, sort of. “You don’t have to do that with me, you know?” Albus spoke softly, arms wrapped safely around him. He held on so tight, as though the whole world would fall apart if he let go. Scorpius couldn’t imagine the fear Albus felt when he dived into the lake after Marcy. He had been so selfishly wrapped up in this entire thing that he hadn’t once thought to ask if he was okay himself.

“Do what?” He asked, puzzled.

“Pretend you’re okay. Pretend that this big fuckery of events hasn’t affected you.”

“I’m fine, Albus. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I am, Scor. Can you just let me get this out? I think you need to hear it,” taking a deep breath, Scorpius nodded. “This isn’t your fault.” Scorpius went to protest, but Albus continued before he had the chance.

“I know you, and I know you are undoubtedly blaming yourself somehow for this. But, This. Isn’t. Your. Fault.” He emphasised each word, making sure Scorpius was listening. “You had no control over this situation, and buts and ifs and maybes aren’t going to change that, so there’s no use dwelling on it.”

“I know,” he mumbled. “But, that doesn’t stop the guilty feeling,” he admitted.

“I know that. I just needed you to hear it,” a small, single tear escaped Scorpius’ eye and fell down onto Albus’ chest.

“Move in with me?” Scorpius asked, sniffling away the tears threatening to come. He felt Albus freeze beneath him, his whole body going stiff.

“What?” The reaction scared him slightly, maybe it wasn’t what Albus wanted. But, the rational part in Scorpius’ brain told him that the reaction was a result of surprise, and so he listened to that part and ploughed on.

“I know it’s kind of forward, and maybe I’ve become too co-dependent on you, but Albus, I don’t think I’d be able to live without you.” Scorpius moved from his position to sit and face Albus. For some reason, this felt like something he had to do looking at him.

“I can’t sleep in a different bed to you without nightmares keeping me awake. I love you, and I want to be with you forever and I’m sorry if that scares you, I know that it always has. I know that you’re scared of the future and what it might mean for us and our relationship. But I promised not to break your heart and I plan on keeping that promise for as long as I live. So, after Hogwarts, will you move in with me?”

Albus looked shell-shocked. His mouth agape and green eyes wide and alert. It was hard to determine his exact expression in the dark, and Scorpius struggled to see without his glasses, but he also knew that Albus looked adorably flustered. There seemed to be a long silence in which only the boys breathing could be heard.

“Absolutely,” Albus finally spoke, sounding exasperated. Scorpius let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. For the first time in twenty-four hours, a genuine grin spread across his face, engulfing his features in delight. Albus’ own face mirrored his, and Scorpius felt his heart grow warm.

“Really?” He asked. He just wanted to double check.

“Yes, yes of course, you dork. Of course, I’ll move in with you. I can’t live without you, either,” he babbled, grabbing Scorpius’ cheeks in his hands and pulling him forward for a kiss. It was messy and rushed and their teeth clanked together too many times because neither of them could stop smiling.

When they finally pulled away, Scorpius fell into his previous position, wrapping his body around Albus’ with the desire for every part of their forms to be touching. In the warmth of his boyfriend, he found peace. The exhaustion of the day and his depleted magic began to overpower him. He tried to push away the events of the past day, allowing thoughts of Albus to clear his mind with his magic touch. When content, Scorpius allowed sleep to engulf him into sweet dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments always welcome :)


	8. In a Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nearly done!!  
> If you were emosh at the last chapter, the prepare for full on tears for this one!
> 
> Warnings: Minor character death/anxiety/implied suicide

_“Scorpius!”_

_Water thrashed around him, filling his lungs and airway, choking every last breath from him. It stung against his open eyes as he searched frantically for the girl in a white dress._

_“Help me,” he heard her scream, her voice muffled from the water, but he could hear her. He just couldn’t see her. The waves were furious, tugging him around like a rag doll, never allowing him to crawl to the surface for air._

_“Scorpius!” He caught sight of her drifting away from him, the rope around her thin body tightening by the second as she fought relentlessly against it. He ignored the fire in his lungs and swam to her. He reached out and grabbed her dress, but when he pulled her closer, only the piece of fabric was in his hands. Blinking a few times, he looked around and she was nowhere to seen._

_“Scorpius!” It was a male’s voice this time, and Scorpius span in the water, every inch of it battling against his movements. In the distance he saw a young boy with messy black hair, his Slytherin robes wrapping around him and pulling him closer to the bottom of the lake. Scorpius wasted no time and swam as fast as he could against the current. He reached for Albus’ hand, but he slipped away at the last second, being dragged to his death, consumed by the darkness._

 

Scorpius woke with a deep gasp, desperately trying to return air to his lungs that had never left. The gasp induced a small coughing fit. Scorpius grasped at his throat, as though his hands could successfully open his airway.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Scorpius weren’t sure how many more times the word “hey” came from Albus’ mouth. Albus grabbed his hands, claw marks already evident on his throat, as he wrapped Scorpius’ arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. “You’re okay,” he mumbled into his ear, face pressed against his head. He repeated it over and over still he felt Scorpius’ breath calm against him, his chest settling down as he relaxed in Albus’ arms.

“Sorry,” he huffed, burying his head in the crook of Albus’ neck, taking slow but steady breaths. Albus grabbed his wand and lit up the space around them.

“That was… brutal,” Albus was at a loss for words. “What happened?”

Scorpius shrugged against Albus, his full body weight heavy against Albus’ chest. Sweat glistened across his forehead, Albus could feel the wetness against his neck. Pressed this close to Scorpius, Albus could feel everything, from the way his throat moved when he swallowed, to his breath tickling his collarbone, Scorpius leaving light kisses every now and again. They were small and sweet and said ‘thank you’, and Albus knew he was thanking him for just being there.

“Is it hot in here?” Scorpius asked, ignoring Albus’ question. Not that he minded, it was what he did after a nightmare. He needed time to not think about it before he could think about it again, and that means he would distract himself in any way possible. He would tell Albus soon, but until then, Albus had to ride out this storm with him.

“A little,” he replied. Scorpius pulled away from Albus, leaving a chill behind.

His hands went to the hem of his t-shirt, fingers carefully playing with the fabric before he looked up at Albus, eyes glowing under the light of his wand. “Do you mind?” He asked and Albus shook his head. Scorpius proceeded to take off his t-shirt, revealing a thin, pale torso and Albus was forced to wonder if Scorpius had been eating well. He looked ever so slightly thinner around the edges. Maybe that was why he insisted on wearing a t-shirt to bed, despite Albus always being bare-chested himself. It was then Albus noticed a thick, dark, purple bruise crowding his stomach, just below his ribs.

“Scor?” Albus asked, tracing the lines of the bruise with his hand, careful not to touch it too hard. “Does this not hurt?” He followed Albus’ gaze to his own stomach, eyes widening when catching sight of the bruise himself. He grabbed Albus’ hand and pulled it away from him.

“I didn’t even notice it. Must have been from where Marcy kicked me under the water,” Scorpius had been acquiring quite the collection of bruises and wounds. There was his forehead and cheeks where he had scratched himself to the point of bleeding; his arms were painted with nail marks from where Marcy fought against him in the water; his throat from where he had just marked in attempt to breathe; now this bruise and several others he had acquired from the past few days. If he kept going the way he was, there wouldn’t be part of his body to scratch up or to bruise anymore.

“It was a dream about her,” he said now, breaking the short silence that had settled around them. “Just about the lake and stuff, but you were there this time, too. I hate water, you know?” He huffed out his nose, which Albus suspected was an attempted laugh that died halfway.

“You’ve mentioned it.”

“Do you want to know why?”

“Only if you want to tell me.” Scorpius looked at him, eyes full of wonder and love. He would never know what he did to deserve someone as amazing as Albus. Someone who loved and cared for him even on days where he couldn’t love and care for himself. They say you can’t love someone until you love yourself, Scorpius never believed that. He had never loved himself, but he loved Albus so much that sometimes he forgot what hating himself felt like. If Albus could love him, then maybe he could love himself too. He was working on it.

“When I was seven I nearly drowned at the beach,” Scorpius began, eyes wandering down to his hands that fidgeted with each other. Albus grabbed them and held them tight. “Dad managed to pull me out the water before it got too out of hand and they took me to a hospital to get checked out. It was the first time I’d ever had to be there for a reason other than my mum. I guess jumping in after Marcy has triggered some things.”

“Wow,” Albus was at a loss for words. “Aren’t you full of tragic memories?” He spoke, satire thick in his tone. He felt victorious at Scorpius’ quiet laughter.

“Oh yeah, you’d be surprised,” he joked back, smiling at Albus the best he could muster.

“You’re okay now,” he stroked his hair, dropping the humorous tone for a more serious one. “No more lakes, no more drama, you can exhale now,” Albus saw Scorpius physically exhale, nodding his head and dropping his head back down. Albus pulled him in for another hug, sensing the other boy needed one desperately.

They stayed like that for a while, wrapped in each other’s arms and breathing in the others scent. Scorpius could have stayed like that forever, lost in the arms of his true love.

“Do you still have the invisibility cloak?” Scorpius asked after moments of silence, an idea popping into his brain. Albus nodded against him. “Can I borrow it? I want to see her.” This time, Albus pulled away from him, his face contorted with confusion and apprehension. He looked at Scorpius like he’d gone mad.

“On your own?” He asked, as if that was his biggest worry. Scorpius nodded slowly, looking at Albus with big, wide eyes.

“I figured you wouldn’t want to come.”

“I do, she was our friend, after all.”

So, the two of them climbed out of bed and put on t-shirts and shoes. Albus grabbed the cloak from his trunk; James had given it to him after he left Hogwarts, telling him to look after it and made him promise that he’ll return it once he graduates. Albus hadn’t much use for it, to be honest, he found himself borrowing it to Lily more times than not. He and Scorpius had used it a few times, mostly for late night star-gazing dates in the Astronomy Tower.

Covering them both fully with the cloak, – they were almost too tall to fit, but it just reached over the both of them – the two boys made their way out the common room and through the halls of the castle, guided only by the light of a wand.

A feeling of dread settled over Scorpius as they approached the hospital wing. Where it came from, and what it meant, Scorpius didn’t know. He gripped Albus’ hands tighter, as they approached the giant double doors. One of them was left slightly open and the boys slipped through unnoticed. They came to a halt suddenly when they noticed the hoard of teachers surrounding the bed where Marcy had been earlier that day.

It was early – very early – in the morning. Something must have happened for so many to be crowded around.

The feeling of dread crept its way through his body, clouding his bones and choking his throat. It tied his stomach in knots, cramping his muscles. It threatened to knock him off his feet, his legs feeling weak as he leaned on Albus for support. The dread had crept onto him, too. His face clouded with trepidation, bottom lip being notoriously chewed. His hand clenched and unclenched against Scorpius’.

Scorpius was about to say something when the word got caught in his throat.

Albus seemed at the same loss for speech.

His throat suddenly felt dry, and Scorpius tried to swallow to smooth it over, but the action proved unsuccessful. It was Albus who found his feet first, stepping closer to Marcy’s bed and pulling Scorpius along with him, whose own legs were threatening to betray him.

“I don’t understand what happened,” Madame Pomfrey whispered, but the noise cut through the silence of the hospital wing. There were only a few other students checked in, all of whom were asleep in the dead of the morning.

“She was a very sick girl, Poppy,” McGonagall spoke now, the words lingering around Scorpius’ brain before finally settling. Nausea settled in his stomach, wrapping tightly around the feeling of dread, the two entwining like old lovers.

“She was fine when I left her,” Madame Pomfrey spoke now, her voice cracking as she broke down into sobs against Professor Appleby. He rubbed circles on her back, slowly. “I was only gone a couple of hours,” she continued, her voice barely audible against her racked sobs. Scorpius felt tears sting against his eyes, his brain searching for and finding the worst-case scenario.

“I just hate to be the one to tell the Malfoy boy and his friends,” it was Professor Wing who spoke up now, shaking her head as she spoke.

“Tell me what?” Scorpius had somehow found his voice, removing the invisibility cloak from himself. His body felt weak, but he had found in it him to hold himself up, his voice surprisingly stronger than he thought. He felt Albus stiffen beside him as he too revealed himself from under the cloak, eyes glued to the back of Scorpius’ head, who had stepped forward in a moment of courage. The many eyes of the Professors’ settled over the two boys, a mixture of confusion and sorrow and Scorpius swallowed the lump in his throat, suddenly remembering how dry it had been.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter,” McGonagall started, eyes flicking between both boys. Scorpius could have sworn there were tears in her eyes, but it was difficult to tell in the dim lighting of the hospital wing. “But, Miss Finch-Fletchley is…” she paused, struggling to get the word out.

“Dead?” Scorpius said so she didn’t have to. She confirmed his worst fears with a solemn nod.

Around him, the whole world fell apart.

Scorpius didn’t know what to do, so he turned and ran.

The shouts of his Professors were drowned out by the thoughts racing in his brain. _It’s all your fault. She’s dead because of you. She needed saving and you couldn’t do it. Why couldn’t you have just fixed everything. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. And it’s all your fault. Your fault your fault your fault._

His legs finally buckled from under him, his knees crashing to the stone floor with a harsh thud. He screamed so loud that it scratched at his throat, leaving it red raw. Tears flooded down, dampening his pale cheeks, sobs choking his every breath. His lungs fought for air, but his body wouldn’t oblige. He was back in the lake, water filling his lungs and squeezing the air from him, except he wasn’t in a lake and the water in his mouth was his tears and he couldn’t breathe.

Arms fell around him, scooping him from the floor and pulling him into an embrace. Scorpius fell unwillingly into Albus’ chest and he held him so tightly, Scorpius thought he might break. _Good,_ he thought, _break me._

He heard Albus sobbing softly too, his own tears falling from his cheeks and into Scorpius’ hair. He wanted to comfort him, too, not just be helpless while being comforted. Albus had lost a friend as well. _But it wasn’t Albus’ fault,_ his brain reminded him. Scorpius crawled out of Albus’ grip, crawling away from him slightly before raising clumsily onto his feet. His legs were weak beneath him, his knees bruised from the harsh landing before.

“Scor?” Albus spoke, climbing to his feet too.

“She’s dead,” he spoke, voice hoarse and lost. Scorpius couldn’t turn to face Albus, couldn’t bare to look him in the eyes. _He’s going to hate you now,_ the voice spoke, _you killed her. He’ll hate you. So, will the rest of your friends._ “’I’m sorry,” he choked out, his voice echoing down the dark halls of the castle. Scorpius did not know who he was apologising to, he doubted Marcy could hear him from wherever she was.

“Scorpius, this isn’t-”

“No!” Scorpius cut him off, screaming so loud he woke a few portraits around him. He spun quickly on his heels to face Albus, who looked like he could barely hold his own weight. “Don’t say this isn’t my fault!” He screamed again, cutting his throat with his words. He wasn’t angry at Albus, he was just trying to help. He was angry at himself.

“I couldn’t save her. And now she’s dead because of me because I couldn’t save her Albus! And I tried, I really fucking tried but it didn’t work and now she’s gone,” Albus never said anything as he watched his boyfriend succumb to sobs. He just walked slowly over, his own tears drowning his face, and pulled Scorpius into a hug. At his touch, Scorpius fell into him, his legs giving way.

Albus never spoke, mostly because he had no idea what to say. He had no clue how to handle this situation, his life experiences so far had never taught him. He wanted to tell Scorpius that he was wrong, that it wasn’t his job to save someone, that she needed to save herself first, that everything will be okay in the end, but all of that seemed inadequate. It didn’t seem right, didn’t feel right. He knew that nothing he said right now would be enough. It wouldn’t stop the aching in his heart, or his own. It wouldn’t stop the doubts and the thoughts. It wouldn’t stop the pain and agony. He could only hope that holding Scorpius would be enough for now. That together they could get through this heartbreak.

“How… am… I supposed to… live with that?” Scorpius whispered through wretched sobs, barely able to form the words.

If Albus’ heart wasn’t already broken, he was sure that would have been the final straw.

“Hey, look. I’m not good at this stuff. But there’s one thing you need to hear,” Albus could barely speak through his own sobs, his voice muffled against Scorpius’ neck. “You wanted to save her,” his voice cracked. “But you couldn’t. Because no one could have. You can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved.”

Scorpius never spoke, so Albus just assumed he had heard. They stood like that for a really long time, until their sobs had calmed to quiet whimpering and their legs didn’t feel so weak. It was Professor Appleby who found them and led the two grieving boys back to their common room. He tried to comfort them, but the words weren’t enough. Once there, the two never went to bed. Instead they climbed into an armchair barely big enough for the both of them and held each other still the numbness faded away and sleep overcame them.

There, in the warmth of the fire and the dark of the common room, they broke.

 

* * *

 

 

The news of Marcy’s death spread quickly, and in the weeks following an eerie quiet settled over the school. The silence followed Albus and Scorpius like a pesky fly, buzzing around them incessantly. Conversations would stop in their vicinity and start again when they thought to be out of range. Everyone knew of the events of that night, were aware that Scorpius had jumped into the lake to save her only for her to die anyway. The looks of pity and sorrow were beginning to drive them both mad. They would prefer if people still hated them.

Scorpius himself barely spoke. He tried to go about his day as normal, as though there wasn’t a big gaping hole in his friendship group. They all tried to carry on, but where there days were normally filled with harmless chatter about absolutely nothing, none of them could figure out what to say. There were many nights spent around the fire, all leaning on each other for comfort, stumped for words.

Not even Leo, the usual sarcastic, light-hearted ball of sunshine, could find it in him to crack a joke. Not even Emily, the chatty girl who claimed every cloud had a silver lining could find the good in this very, very bad situation. Not even Lily had known what to say when news travelled to her, she had just silently eaten lunch with the four of them, though Albus was grateful for her presence.

But the absolute worst thing was how they were now being treated by their Professors. They were constantly checking up, asking if they were okay, if they needed anything, if they wanted to go home for a few days or if they needed a break from their studies. They would repeatedly tell them that everything was okay, that things will heal with time, that they would move on. Scorpius had snapped at Professor Appleby earlier that week, had told him to stop lying because he knew how this whole grieving thing worked and that it never gets better, only easier to deal with with time.

It was nothing, absolutely nothing, like losing his mother. But that didn’t mean it hurt any less. It was a different kind of loss, the loss of a friend. But, mostly, it wasn’t the loss that haunted Scorpius. It was the guilt. It was the fact that he tried everything he could, and it wasn’t enough. It was the fact that he couldn’t say goodbye. It was the fact that he felt entirely responsible for everything.

It was irrational.

But he couldn’t shake the thought.

Three weeks following her death, the school decided to hold a memorial service to her. Emily had helped plan it, desperate to distract her mind from grief. That was now how the four found themselves sat in the Great Hall, the usual tables removed and replaced with rows of chairs. They held hands tightly, Leo holding Scorpius’, Scorpius holding Albus’ and Albus holding Emily’s. They all felt the overwhelming absence of a friend who should be there. But wasn’t.

Scorpius didn’t want to go. That morning he had told Albus that he didn’t think he could, that it would be too hard for him. But Albus, Leo and Emily had begged him, guilting him by saying that Marcy would want him there. Scorpius could think of a million reasons why she probably didn’t but didn’t have it in him to argue. So, he went. He was, also, meant to be speaking. Emily had begged him, too, knowing he was the closest to her. She wanted someone to say honest words about her, to remember her in the way she should be. Scorpius had trouble remembering. Yes, she was kind and brave and honest, but she had also been causing him a lot of pain and trouble over the time he’d known her, something Albus was still bitter about. Scorpius couldn’t find it in him to be angry, though he knew he should be.

Above them, flags of Slytherin hung proudly. The house was grieving a great loss. Not many had known who Marcy was, Scorpius almost felt insulted that so many had pretended to grieve for a girl they hadn’t bothered to get to know. But Slytherin’s stuck together, and the loss of one caused a giant ripple.

Both Scorpius and Albus struggled to listen to the speech Professor McGonagall had prepared. Scorpius buried his head in Albus’ neck, closing his eyes and willing away the headache in his brain. Though the episodes had stopped, the dull ache remained, and Scorpius wished it had all stopped together. But it hadn’t. His head shot out of Albus’ neck when he heard his name announced, and he looked between his friends before rising out his seat. Leo and Albus gave his hands a comforting squeeze before letting him go, and Emily hugged him briefly as he walked passed.

Holding his breath, he walked down the long opening in the centre of the hall where the chairs had been split in half. The distance seemed like the longest he’d ever walked, and only when he stepped up to the podium – an encouraging nod from Professor McGonagall – did Scorpius finally exhale. He scanned the crowd for Albus and his friends, his heartbeat settling once he found them. Scorpius took a deep breath and began a speech he hadn’t prepared for in the slightest.

“Most of you didn’t know Marcy and the stories you have heard the past few weeks probably made you think she was crazy. So, I guess I’m going to set that straight,” he swallowed, closing his eyes for a moments peace before opening them again. “Marcy wasn’t crazy, misunderstood and… confused and… scared and probably heartbroken, but not crazy.

“I felt…,” he faltered. “I feel like the Marcy I knew wasn’t the same Marcy who died. Now who sounds like the crazy one?” The crowd chuckled slightly along with him. “The Marcy I knew was kind and funny and totally shy until you got to know her, and she wasn’t a bright spark, but she was pretty good with a wand. She wouldn’t laugh at you when you said something stupid or embarrassing, she wouldn’t lie to you when you asked her what was wrong. She was honest, she was insecure, she was human. She made mistakes and made up for mistakes.

“This time she made a mistake she couldn’t make up for. She had hurt someone close to her and she didn’t know how to fix it. And that led to her downfall. In losing a friend, someone she loved, she lost herself. I don’t think she ever meant to hurt me, I don’t think she realised she was until it was too late. Or maybe that’s what I’m telling myself, so I don’t lose the image of her in my head.

“But, Marcy, if you’re listening, if that’s even possible, I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry… and that you’re forgiven. I could never hate you, you were my friend,” tears began falling down his cheeks. “I’ll miss you,” Scorpius finished, his voices now rattled with sobs.

Without another word, Scorpius stepped down from the podium, walking back down the crowd. But instead of stopping at his seat, Scorpius kept walking until he broke into a jog and left the Great Hall behind. He ran all the way to the dungeons and into the common room, stopping in front of the small memorial picture frame that had been set up by Emily. Around it, people left notes and flowers. Scorpius was yet to leave anything.

He stared at her picture for a long time. She was smiling brightly, laughing candidly at the person behind the camera. Scorpius remembered the day it was took. It was the last day of school in fifth year, they had all finished their O.W.Ls and had spent the afternoon down by the lake, underneath the elder tree situated near it. In the heat of the day, they had all shed their robes, lying lazily in just their school shirts, ties hung loosely around their necks. Leo had brought his camera to “capture the essence of pure happiness”. Mostly he clicked it at random, producing candid pictures of them all just chilling under the bright June sun. Marcy had been laughing at Leo all afternoon, her sides hurting. This particular picture was taken when Leo told a joke which no one other than Marcy found funny, and he had clicked the picture at just the right time, capturing her radiance and joy.

Reminiscing on the moment, Scorpius found himself smiling for the first time since her death.

He picked up a small piece of parchment that Emily had left for people to write notes and the self-inking quill next to it. On the paper, he wrote his note, hand-writing elegant as usual. He pursed his lips as he looked down at the parchment and nodded. Satisfied, he placed the parchment directly next to her photograph and skimmed it over one last time:

_I’m sorry I couldn’t save you, but you didn’t want to be saved, did you?_

Scorpius thought that he might get an answer. But he knew he wouldn’t. That would be the type of miracle that simply didn’t exist.

They had never told them how she died, whether it was a result of the lake or if he she tried to harm herself again. Scorpius guessed the second one if their silence on the subject was anything to go by.  He wondered, as he often did, what would have happened if things had worked out differently. If he had been able to stop her sooner, or if she wasn’t too close to the lake, or if he had picked up on the warning signs earlier. Albus had told him not to dwell on the ifs and buts and maybes, but it was an instinct. A stupid, annoying and life-ruining instinct, but an instinct nonetheless.

Scorpius stayed staring at her photograph, reading over some of the notes left, until the Slytherins returned from the memorial. He knew he should have felt guilty for skipping out, but he didn’t. He simply just couldn’t sit there any longer, lost in his own thoughts and letting his mind wander. His mind had wandered here, but in the absence of a hall of people, they weren’t so irrational. People made his anxiety heighten.

He was pulled from his thoughts by Albus’ hand in his, leaning his chin on his shoulder and looking at the memorial. Leo came up behind him, the taller boy wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his chin on Scorpius’ head. Emily grabbed his arm the other side and lay her head on his other shoulder. There, in the warmth of each other, the comfort that everyone else was hurting too, the four friends began their healing process.

They would never get over it, grief was something that lingered long after the aching pain subsided. It would creep back upon them when they’d least expect it. At their future weddings when their friend couldn’t be present, at baby showers and births where their friend couldn’t hold their newborns, at moving in parties and birthday parties, at New Years Eve celebrations and Christmas. At graduation. The weight of Marcy’s absence would forever haunt them, but together they could heal. Together, they could move on. Together, they could face the world again. They wouldn’t heal today. Maybe not even tomorrow, or next week, or next month. But they would begin to see the world in brighter colours again.

The love they had for Marcy would remain. They would be reminded of it every day: in coffee cups that resemble the colour of her eyes; in children whose laughter was as loud as hers; in groups of friendships with a shy girl; in lakes like the one she drowned; and in roses like the ones she loved; in the bright blue sky because that was her favourite and in the sun that shone as brightly as her. She would be everywhere and nowhere, all because she was loved dearly and deeply.

And maybe their love was never enough, but it was all they had. So, they held onto it.

It was all they had left.


	9. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finished!! I hope you all have enjoyed this very emotional rollercoaster and wasn't too taken aback, I'm aware it was a lot darker than Wasn't Expecting That and focused on other things besides Albus and Scorpius' relationship. However, I still hope you thoroughly enjoyed it! This chapter is more of an epilogue, just to tie up loose ends and stuff so it's much more lighthearted than the previous chapters.

_Seven months later_

 

“Scor, will you stop stressing yourself out?” He heard Leo ask, but brushed him off. He didn’t have time, their N.E.W.Ts were commencing that day. Scorpius barely had time to breathe, let alone listen to Leo repeatedly tell him to stop freaking out. He’d had enough of it from Albus, Leo didn’t need to join in, too.

His vision blurred slightly, and Scorpius rubbed his eyes under his glasses, massaging the headache away. He hadn’t had an episode since Marcy’s death, but the dull ache remained. Every time he felt one creeping on, the feeling reminded him of Marcy and Scorpius had to swallow the lump in his throat. It had been seven months, but the grief and guilt had only slightly eased. He was constantly reminded of her, especially when he was studying. He no longer had anyone who relied on him for help. It made him feel empty.

Sure, he still had his tutor groups, but they only showed up because they were obliged to. It was a requirement of them by teachers, none of them actually wanted to be there. And he had Albus, who sometimes asked for help but Albus was more than capable of doing the work on his own. Marcy had needed him. Or maybe she didn’t. Maybe it had all been an act to get close to him. Scorpius didn’t know anymore. He tried to remember her the way Leo and Emily did, but he now questioned everything about her.

It was funny: the entire time he knew her, Scorpius had never understood how she was sorted into Slytherin. He felt for sure she was a Hufflepuff, loyal, hard-working, patient. It wasn’t until after what she died that Scorpius knew why she was sorted into Slytherin. He wished he’d never found out.

“Scorpius? Fine, don’t listen to me. But, can you look after yourself at least?” Leo pushed a plate of food closer to Scorpius, full of breakfast goodies, and brought him out of his thoughts. He realised Leo had been talking and he hadn’t been listening to a word. He sighed, rubbing his tired eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he spoke, looking at Leo through his glasses. Leo looked tired, too. Dark circles surrounding his eyes, bags heavy underneath them. His skin was slightly paler than usual; the stress of N.E.W.Ts and lack of sleep was getting to him, too. “I’m not hungry.”

“I don’t care. Put the book away, you’ve been studying for this exam all night and don’t think I didn’t notice that you didn’t sleep. You’re lucky Albus was out cold otherwise you’ll be hearing his wrath, too. You need to eat, Scorpius. I don’t want a repeat of fifth year, it scared the crap out of me,” Leo said, his voice firm and instantly Scorpius felt guilty. He hated how much people cared about him sometimes, he just wished they would realise he could look after himself. But, then he couldn’t, could he? Without Albus dragging him to bed and Leo forcing him to eat, Scorpius would probably just fall apart.

Scorpius sighed and gave in, closing the book and pulling the plate of breakfast closer to him. He looked at it in contempt before stabbing a fork through a sausage and eating it with the moodiest expression he could muster. He would eat, but he wasn’t going to be happy about it.

“Thank you,” Leo said, carrying on with his own breakfast. “Where is Albus, anyway?”

“He and Emily woke up early to go check on their potions one last time before the external examiner comes to assess them. He was really freaking out, but there’s no doubt he’s going to do amazing. He worked really hard on his project,” and just like that, Scorpius went back to normal. His usual blabbing, charismatic, overly excited self. Thinking about Albus could do that to him. “I am really proud of him. And Emily! How did your project go?”

“Finalised it last night,” Leo said, pulling a project folder out his bag and passing it to Scorpius, who took it gladly. “Handing it in to Professor Appleby before the exam.” Their final year projects had taken a toll, but now the hand-in date had finally rolled around, the relief off all the seventh years was visible. Scorpius, however, found it highly stressful that their hand-in date was the same day as the commencement of exams. Not that it should have bothered him, he handed his project in last week; completed with three theories on the cure for blood malediction, supported by evidence, research and case studies, as well as a guide on how to make the potion for theory one, how to perform the charm for theory two and how to reverse it’s affects using various magical plants as a remedy for theory three.

Albus’ face as he read it was a picture. He was amazed, yet also confused, because _Scorpius, how the fuck do you make this sound so articulate? My essay sounds like it’s been written by a five-year-old._ Scorpius only rolled his eyes fondly at him. Which then led to Scorpius helping Albus for six straight hours rewrite his project to make it sound smarter, even though Scorpius insisted it was already brilliant.

Scorpius opened Leo’s project folder to a neat title page that read:

_The magical mysteries of the Occamy: can its blood be used to treat various known diseases?_

He flicked through, catching brief glances of his research throughout and nodding approvingly, mouth agape with amazement.

“Could this work?” Scorpius asked as when he’d finished skimming the conclusion and handed the folder back to Leo.

“According the research, yeah. Thought you’d like it, Mr St-Mungos-newest-prodigy-who-got-into-their-school-unconditionally-and-has-already-been-given-a-personal-tutor,” Scorpius rolled his eyes. It was true that Scorpius had been accepted in St Mungos school of healing with an unconditional offer, meaning his grades on his N.E.W.Ts wouldn’t affect his admission. The head, Healer Lipsis, had been at Scorpius’ interview herself, after being so overwhelmed with his application. She had offered him the spot right there and then, telling him that she would be overseeing his time at the school personally and offering him extra tutor lessons, which he gladly accepted.

The application process had been brutal. The initial application, completed with a personal statement, had been fine. But the interview stage consisted of an interview with five healers – one of them Healer Lipsis, who had only shown up for Scorpius – which was pretty standard, followed by a twenty-minute presentation conducted by Scorpius on a topic of interest. He’d chosen blood curses – for obvious reasons – and spoke about his final year project. Healer Lipsis had requested that once his project had been handed in and marked, that the Research Department in St Mungos look it over and test his theories out. If they were successful, well who knows what that could lead to?

The lack of sleep and hard work had all paid off though, because Scorpius now had a firm place in the healing school, along with a placement at St Mungos whilst he trained and extra tutoring from Healer Lipsis. The next two years were going to be brutal, but he had Albus and their new home – which they had picked out over the Easter break and were to move in the first week of July. It was situated in the centre of London, close enough to St Mungos for Scorpius, but also close to the Apothecary in Diagon Alley that Albus was apprenticing for whilst he got his Potioneering licence.

“I’m sure you’ll do great,” Scorpius said, honestly. He had no doubt that all his friends would smash their final year. All of them have worked equally hard for it.

“Well, I better go, got to catch Professor Appleby before the Muggle Studies exam, I’ll catch you there.” Scorpius nodded, waving goodbye as Leo raced off out the hall, his project in hand. Once out of sight, Scorpius pushed away the remaining food and pulled the book back in front of him; he will get some last-minute revision in even if it killed him.

 

* * *

 

 

Albus had abandoned breakfast that morning in favour of checking on his potion before the external examiner came at nine o’clock sharp. It was procedure, for anyone who had produced a potion for their final year project, for an examiner from the Ministry to come and check it out themselves, mostly for safety and legal reasons.

For his project, Albus wanted to produce a potion that reduced the effects of lycanthropy. A cure would have been nice, but better Potioneers than him have been trying that for years, so he settled on a slightly easier task. Though, it had been far from easy. It had been the most stressful experience of his life and combined with the year he’d had, Albus wasn’t sure he’d get it done on time. Yet, here he was, standing proudly next to his potion as the external examiner entered the classroom.

He side-eyed Emily, who was situated on the potion stand next to his, as a firm, tall woman entered, her heels clanking against the stone-cold floor, her lips pursed. Her grey hair was tied back into a neat bun and her wandering eyes flicked over every student carefully, eyeing them like they were prey, and then walked over to a student, all without saying a word.

Albus felt like he couldn’t breathe. He was hoping for someone who looked a little kinder, who wouldn’t smell like day-old coffee and parchment attempted to be covered up with mint. Albus hadn’t smelt her yet, but he had no doubts on her aroma. In nerves, Albus looked over his notes one more time, neatening his portfolio and straightening his tie. Anything to distract his fingers from fiddling. He felt like Scorpius, who could never keep his hands still even if he tried.

“You okay?” Emily asked, scooting closer to Albus and keeping her voice low. He was thankful she was there, otherwise he’d probably just breakdown into an anxiety attack.

“Yeah,” he said. “She seems…”

“Scary,” Emily finished for him. It wasn’t the word Albus was looking for, but it certainly was correct.

“Very.”

“But you’ll be fine though, your proposal is solid,” she assured him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“So is yours, you’ll smash it.” He assured back. She gave him a warm smile, though her eyes were sad.

“Marcy would be proud of us.”

And there it was. The pang in his heart. Marcy’s death felt like a lifetime ago now, but his heart still twinged at the sound of her name.

He was angry at first, that she would cause so much pain to Scorpius and just tap out of life like it was nothing. He knew that was wrong, that he shouldn’t be thinking like that. But it was him who had to watch Scorpius fall apart. He had to watch them all fall apart. He watched as Emily tumbled into oblivion, obsessing over everything – Quidditch, potions, schoolwork, head girl duties. Everything had to be perfect, she had to constantly be moving because if she stopped she’d think of Marcy and that was too hard. She was distracting herself, burying the pain she was supposed to feel and replacing it with something else. She got away with this for two weeks, until he, Scorpius and Leo staged an intervention and sat her down and forced her to let it all out.

He watched Leo stand in front of Marcy’s memorial every single damned morning for two months straight and apologise to her with tears down his cheeks because he felt guilty for not seeing she needed help. He watched as one morning the overwhelming pain overtook, and he destroyed half the things in the common room in a pent-up rage. Albus had fixed it with a spell after and held him till he stopped shaking.

As for Scorpius, he temporarily shut down. He didn’t move from bed for a week following the memorial, he never slept nor ate. He just stopped functioning, overcome with guilt and grief. Albus wondered if that was how he dealt with his mum’s death. He didn’t know what to do, so he helped as much as he could: he brought him food he never ate, held him tight at night and soothed him with gentle words. When he finally got up, it was through no choice of his own. Albus, Emily and Leo dragged him out of bed and into the shower, then down to breakfast and basically force-fed him. They dragged him like a rag-doll from class to class for a week before he finally found his own legs and started himself. The switch was dramatic. He suddenly started eating fine again – with only a few off days – and emerging himself in his studies. He slept, with interruptions from nightmares, but he slept. Albus had thought he was getting over it, until he found him one night in tears in the common room, racked with guilt and apologising to a picture. Again, Albus held him until he stopped shaking.

And Albus, well, he didn’t know exactly how to deal with the situation. He tried to go about his days as normal, but every now and again he’d remember she wasn’t there. He would act out in rage before succumbing to tears. It would happen at the most inconspicuous times: at dinner when they were talking, he’d think she hadn’t spoken in a while only to remember she’d never speak again; when walking to Herbology because that was her favourite class; when he and Scorpius spent days in the library, she was never there like before. Moments like this would hit him like a bludger. He found himself crying at random times in the boy’s bathroom in between classes because a girl had laughed, and it sounded like her.

The first few months had been brutal. He had written a letter to her at Christmas, wishing her a happy Christmas only to remember she would never receive it. They had all fallen victim to losing Marcy Finch-Fletchley. And it was brutal. Albus was angry, Scorpius was guilt-ridden, Emily was devasted, Leo was wrecked.

But slowly, things began to change. The group started finding things to talk about that didn’t remind them of her too much. The silence that had settled over the school slowly lifted. The sympathetic looks had stopped, the teachers had stopped prying. Slowly, but surely, the pain began to disappear. It would never fully vanish, but with time the pain and grief would ease and maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to hear her name without the aching twinge in his heart.

“Yeah, she would be,” he replied to Emily, returning her look with a sad smile.

“Miss Fickle?” The examiners high-pitched tone pained Albus’ ears. It sounded like it would scratch her throat to talk. Standing this close to her, Albus’ suspicions on her smell was confirmed; he had to try not to gag.

“Yes ma’am,” Emily said, holding out her hand. The examiner eyed her hand before ignoring it and looking back at Emily.

“What do we have here?” _A potion,_ Albus thought sarcastically, then reminded himself not to say that when she asked him the very same question.

Emily jumped into her explanation on her potion, which was – in light of recent events – a potion to help people recover from the physical and emotional effects of grief. She actually used Scorpius as a test subject, because the grief had hit him the hardest. It was essentially a mix of Draught of Peace to relieve the anxiety effects that losing someone could have, combined with a sleeping Draught potion and another which she had made on her own which reduced exhaustion. She found it ironic how Scorpius felt physically drained but couldn’t sleep, so she did more research. It seemed to work and Albus was extremely proud of her.

The examiner nodded along in approval, a quick-quill writing rapidly everything Emily was saying beside her whilst she dotted her own notes on a clipboard. The sight of her made anxiety grow in Albus’ stomach. He swallowed the lump in his throat as she finished up with Emily and stepped in front of him. He forced his hands down to his sides and looked to her and smiled. He was slightly taller than her, but her glare made him feel two-feet tall.

“Mr Potter, correct?”

“Yes, ma’am,” his throat felt dry.

“Go on,” she encouraged and Albus nodded.

He began to explain his project, how he hoped it would reduce the effects of Lycanthropy and how he came to that conclusion. It had been endless nights in the library researching about werewolves, what exactly caused the change and potential ways it can be solved. He had looked up old and failed potions of the past which had attempted to cure it and evaluated them all on how they went wrong. It had truly been exhausting, but he hoped all the hard work would pay off. The potion couldn’t have been tested – Albus didn’t have any werewolves to test it on – however, once the project was completed, Professor Wing had set up a meeting with the Research Department in St. Mungos who would evaluate Albus’ potion and test it empirically. Albus was immensely excited. He just had to get through this first.

He rambled for what seemed like forever, and he couldn’t decipher the look on the examiners face. When he finally stumbled through his project, he felt slightly better. He felt even better when a small smile curved on her lips, breaking her stony-faced façade and praised him for his idea and hard-work, wishing him the best for his future. Albus felt the weight of the world lift from his shoulders.

 

* * *

 

 

It had been Scorpius’ stupid idea to meet at the Black Lake once exams were over and their results had been released. Thinking back, he regretted ever opening his mouth. He hadn’t been down there since Marcy, he just couldn’t face it. The elder tree situated by it had once been his and Albus’ favourite spot to hang out, now he could barely look at it.

He stood at the top of hill, clutching his unopened results in one hand and nervously twitching the other. All his friends were already there, laughing under the beaming sun which reflected kindly off the waters surface. He watched them for a while, taking slow, deep breaths to try and calm his whizzing mind. It didn’t work.

It had been months – seven, to be exact – yet, Scorpius still remembered the cold of that evening. Every time he thought about it a chill settled in his bones. He could feel Marcy’s nails clawing against his skin, could feel her foot clashing harshly with his ribs. He felt the fire in his lungs as he fought against the desire to breath in. He remembered everything as though it were happening in the present. And the feeling was far from pleasant.

He pushed his glasses onto his head, securing his fringe away from his face. He looked from his laughing friends to the pier where the dreaded night happened. His feet moved under him on their own accord, guiding him down the hill to the lake. He walked passed his friends, who abruptly stopped their conversation upon seeing him and realising he had no intention of stopping. He walked onto the pier, slowly making his way to the edge, the wood creaking beneath him.

For a moment, he didn’t think he was going to stop. He thought he’d just fling himself into the water and let himself drown. But, he did stop. He stopped exactly where Marcy was stood that night, the tip of his toes hanging ever-so-slightly over the edge of the dock. He looked out onto the water. It seemed so peaceful, so tranquil, so unaware it had nearly drowned a student seven months previous.

“Scorpius?” Albus’ worried voice snapped Scorpius from his thoughts. He stepped back and slowly turned to face his friends. Leo, Albus and Emily stood looking at him, the same worried look etched upon their faces with their pouted lips and furrowed brow. A single tear escaped his eye and slowly slid down his cheek. He never bothered to wipe it as it dried up in the heat of the sun.

“She should be here,” was all he said, the lump in his throat making it difficult to talk. None of them knew how to respond. “She should be here,” Scorpius repeated. “She should be with us, she should be graduating next week. She should be… here,” he finished lamely.

Stuck for words, his friends just tackled him into a hug and together they softly sobbed for the girl missing from their lives.

They pulled away after a short time, Emily wiping Scorpius’ tears from his face, and they all walked back to elder tree. Scorpius settled himself down next to Albus and lay his head in his lap, looking up at the sky through the leaves. Emily and Leo sat facing them, legs crossed and hands fiddling anxiously with their results.

“So,” Leo began, voice firm, imitating that of a presenter, “exactly two years ago, we all sat around this very tree, anxiously waiting to open our O.W.L results. Back then we were young, naïve, stupid,” the other three giggled. “Back then we thought our O.W.Ls would determine our future. How wrong we were, for there are more important things than O.W.Ls - N.E.W.Ts. Will Leonardo Boot get the grades to apprentice in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures? Will Emily Delilah Fickle get the grades to take on her apprenticeship in the Auror programme, overseen by Harry Potter himself?” Albus rolled his eyes. “Will Albus Severus Potter-”

“The full name? Really Leo?” Albus interrupted.

“Shush, Albus. I full-named myself, too. Let me continue,” Albus gestured for him to do so, evoking a giggle from Scorpius and Emily. “Will Albus Severus Potter get the grades to take on his apprenticeship at the apothecary and train to get his Potioneers licence? Will Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy… well, I guess it doesn’t really matter what you do,” Leo finished, dejectedly.

“Will Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy get straight O’s as to not disappoint his father and be at risk of disownment?” Scorpius finished for him, sitting up from his lying position and crossing his legs, mirroring Leo and Emily.

“You always have to take it that one step further, don’t you Scor?” Leo shook his head in disapproval.

“You know, I wish I was being dramatic, but I tend to save that flare for you,” he smiled mockingly, leaning over and pushing Leo on the shoulder.

“Oh yeah, as if you’re not dramatic, Scor,” Albus teased, mirroring Scorpius’ action and pushing his shoulder. Scorpius looked at him with mock-offence on his face.

“Albus, whose side are you on?”

“No ones! Albus is Switzerland,” he nodded proudly, folding his arms. Scorpius rolled his eyes at him.

“I don’t get it,” Emily said, confusion laced in her tone. Leo nodded along with her.

“Muggle World War,” Albus and Scorpius confirmed at the same time. “Switzerland never chose sides, they stayed neutral,” Albus finished whilst Scorpius nodded in agreement.

Leo scoffed. “Half-bloods,” he muttered, rolling his eyes in faux disgust.

“I’m a pure-blood,” Scorpius defended himself.

“Yeah, with a weird obsession with history – both the muggle and the wizard kind.”

“Not weird but you do realise we just spent the last two years doing a muggle studies N.E.W.T, in which one module was the war, right, Leo?”

“Never noticed,” Leo replied, a smug look on his face which told Scorpius he was lying. Ignoring him, Scorpius rolled his eyes.

“Anyway,” Emily said, dragging out the word. “Results?”

They all let out a collective groan but put their results in a pile in the middle of their now out-of-shape circle. Once piled on top of each other, they all closed their eyes as Scorpius used his wand to shuffle the papers around. They opened their eyes, taking it in turns to grab the file on top, until they each had a random file. Satisfied that no one had their own, they opened them all together.

They had done the same in fifth year, finding it took the edge off opening them. One by one, they would read out the results of the person they got to the group, they would then congratulate that person. Emily went first, reading out Leo’s results for him to which he received majority E’s, with one O and an A. Next went Albus, who had Emily’s, receiving majority O’s with a few E’s herself. Leo went next, who had Scorpius’.

“Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy has received an O in Herbology,” he carried on listing each of the individual subjects and their grade, which to Scorpius’ delight were all O’s. “And finally, oh- is that- Scor, I’m sorry,” he said, looking at Scorpius with a sorrowful look and his voice laced with worry.

“What?” He asked, heart dropping in his chest. He moved to grab the results, but Leo pulled them away.

“An E in history of magic.”

“What, you’re lying,” both Albus and Emily said at the same time, but Scorpius couldn’t find it in him to speak. His heart felt heavy in his chest, constricting his breathing. Scorpius looked at Leo with tears in his eyes, begging him to tell him that he was, in fact, lying.

“Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah, Scor, I’m joking, please don’t freak out,” he spoke fast, jumping from his seat and handing Scorpius the piece of parchment. His breathing finally settled when he noticed the O next to History of Magic and he let out a relieved sigh.

“Why would you do that?” Scorpius shouted, pushing Leo off him. He landed next to him with a thud.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think you’d freak out that much,” the genuine distressed look on his face told Scorpius he was sincerely sorry. He knew he was anyway, Leo didn’t have a bad bone in him. If he had known his prank would have such repercussions, he would never have gone through with it.

“You’re such an idiot,” Scorpius said, but found it hard to keep the amusement out his tone. Leo grinned back at him, any previous tension melting away. Scorpius shook his head and picked up Albus’ results.

“Now, Albus Potter, my gorgeous boyfriend, the love of my life, the keeper of my heart and my literal saviour sent from heaven, are you ready to hear your results?” Scorpius asked, leaning over and grabbing one of Albus’ hands, ignoring Leo’s scoff and Emily’s snort. Albus nodded slowly, trying to keep his breathing steady. Scorpius read them out, a majority E’s with O’s in potions, herbology and care of magical creatures.

“I got an O in potions? Okay, that’s all I wanted,” Albus proclaimed once Scorpius had finished reading. Scorpius beamed at him, leaning in and planting a small kiss on his lips.

“I am so proud of you,” he whispered once they pulled away, causing a grin to break out onto Albus’ face. Scorpius had been nervous for their results, but not as much as Albus, who had worked himself up into such a frenzy last night that Scorpius had to give him some Draught of Peace to calm him down. He always kept some with him, especially since Marcy died.

“I’m proud of you, too.”

“Can you believe we’re out of here next week?” Emily mused, picking up small flowers in the vicinity and weaving them into a crown. “Time flies, eh?” It certainly does. Scorpius looked between his friends, taking them all in. He noticed a small gap in the circle they had unconsciously left, as if they were all waiting for a certain blonde-haired figure to place herself there.

“Do you remember two years ago when Leo blew that Dandelion into Marcy’s face and it caused her to snort and laugh so hard?” Scorpius eyed the group cautiously, eager to see how they would take his sudden mention of the girl. To his surprise, they all started chuckling slightly, so Scorpius joined in.

“Yeah, and that time when she swatted that fly away with her book, but it ended up slipping out her hands and hitting Leo on the head?” Albus said, giggling through the statement.

“Hey, I got a bruise from that!” Leo explained, causing the group to fall into deeper laughter.

“Or that time when she sulked for days because she nearly knocked Scor of his broom when we were playing a friendly game of Quidditch,” Emily added.

“No, okay, that was scary,” Scorpius responded, still giggling but shivering at the memory.

“Good job your big brother saved you, aye?” Leo playfully bumped Scorpius’ shoulder with his fist.

“You’re still four days younger than me, Leonardo,” Scorpius reminded, to which Leo scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“Ooh,” Leo said, ignoring Scorpius’ comment. “How about that time she ruined Albus’ surprise party because she was so excited and just blurted it out at breakfast,” they all burst into laughter again, remembering her dumbfounded look when Leo, Emily and Scorpius scolded her at the same time, and Albus’ look of pure delight that they had planned a party for him.

They stayed in that spot till dark, reminiscing on memories of Marcy, of times she made them laugh and times she made them cry. Times they were amazed at her and times she did something that made them love her. They talked about arguments and make-ups, of happiness and love, of moments of pure embarrassment, of everything that made Marcy who she was.

They spent the day and night both laughing and crying over memories, exhausting their emotions. They remembered Marcy how they wanted to remember her. They tossed aside the trouble she had caused in her last couple of days and focused on the part that made them love her. They laughed until they cried and cried until they laughed. They held hands tightly, shared stories that were personal and stories that everyone knew. They spoke about her in a way they hadn’t been able to up until now.

Together, under the elder tree, they healed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Comments always welcome, if you loved it or hated it, please let me know! Your feedback means everything to me and helps me improve as a writer!
> 
> I feel like this is needed due to nature of the story so here goes:  
> \- As this story contains a lot of grief and dealing with it, please be aware that these are many different ways to deal with grief, as seen in each of the characters. No way of dealing is right or wrong, and it's important that if you feel as any of these characters do, that you seek help. Grief is an overwhelming emotion and I want to make sure you are all safe.  
> \- There are references to self-harm and suicide, again if you relate to any of these characters in any way in regards to depression and anxiety, it is important to look after yourself and seek help if needed.  
> \- I apologise if any parts of this story has been triggering, I did try to put as many warnings as possible! I just want you all safe and sound so please, please, look after yourselves, surround yourselves with friends and family, eat properly, smile often and breathe.
> 
> Thank you all so much for the support throughout this story and the previous one! Hope to see you all very soon :)


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